Hairstylists and Detectives
by Rollele
Summary: Linda, Near's current girlfriend, goes to 'L Salon' for a haircut. There, Near catches the attention of a hairstylist, Mello, while Matt, another hairstylist, flirts with Linda. Meanwhile, he has to deal with L, the World's Greatest Detective, and a case that will test his patience and mental stamina while handling his love life that involves Linda, Mello, and Matt.
1. Hairstylists

"Come on, Nia!" A brown haired girl smiled, her two small ponytails that were tied up lightly bounced up and down. Her brown eyes twinkled in the sun's afternoon rays. "I told you that it'll be fine. Besides, I have to get ready for tonight's photography shoot. I don't want to be seen as a commoner." She slightly pouted a bit. "That would be rude to Misa Misa."

"I do not care for celebrities." The pale boy in next to her left spoke, his gray eyes looking in front of him. "I dislike going out, why do I have to come with you if it's a routine haircut?"

"I want you to tell me how I look…" The girl gave a small smile.

Near gave a small pause, then answered, "Linda, you look great all the time. You're smarter than Misa and that is good enough for me."

"Don't say that!" She shouted a bit, feeling her own cheeks lighten up a bit. "Nia…" She gave another small smile, reaching over and hooking their arms together. "You know, for being antisocial, you really do know what to say."

He didn't move away, thinking about her response. "I believe that is because of the chemical–"

"Nia…" Linda warned with a small and playful tone, the smile never leaving her features. "You're the best boyfriend a girl could ask for." Leaning over, she kissed the pale cheek in front of her.

He looked over at the letters that read 'L Salon' in Old English MT font. Raising a slight eye in confusion, he walked forward a bit faster than Linda and reached for the door, opening it for her. He didn't motion her inside, wondering what the letter of the salon represented. Following her inside, his senses were greeted with harsh chemicals that smelled like nail polish, hair dyes, and other scents that he wasn't sure what to call them.

"Do you have an appointment?" A redhead at the counter asked, not looking up from the laptop that he was currently looking at, typing away.

"Matt!" Linda smiled at the other. Walking over, she leaned over the desk. "You know I do."

Quickly typing a few keys, he looked at her and gave a small smile that seemed rather sensual. Leaning over a bit he gave a small shrug. "I don't know, cutie, I always forget when I look into your eyes."

The girl moved back, a small blush coming onto her features. "You know I'm taken, Matt."

"Yeah, who is this mysterious boyfriend, anyways?" He changed his attitude rather quickly, leaning back and staring at her, expecting an answer, but decided to continue. "You always talk about how handsome he is and whatnot, but you've never showed Mels and me."

"Well…" She started, but was quickly interrupted by a voice behind Matt.

"Are you taking _another_ break? Wait, is that the dating game you–"

"Mello, Linda's here." Matt spoke, a light strain on his voice, pure embarrassment covering his features as he looked elsewhere.

"Hi, Mello." Linda smiled.

"Your usual, Linda?" Mello asked, stretching a bit. "Matt, did you sign her in?"

"I was getting to that…"

"What are you waiting around for?" Mello frowned a bit, then stared at Linda and gave a small smile. Looking behind her, his eyes trailed down from the white locks to the hidden body that was behind a white button-up shirt, faded jeans, and gray sneakers. "May I help you?"

"No, I'm alright, thank you." The monotone voice came.

"He's with me." Linda commented, staring at them both.

"Oh?" Mello asked, leaning over a bit. He gave a sly small smile. "Really, now? Is this one for Matt?"

Linda's cheeks quickly blushed as she shook her head.

"Mels…" Matt started, a small frown on his face. "You know I'm not gay."

"I know, you're bi. So, what's your name?" The blond asked, staring into the gray emotionless eyes.

"Near." The male answered. He didn't make an effort to wrap an arm around Linda to get his point across, and instead, he stared into the cerulean eyes that were in front of him.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Mello's voice.

"You're cute." He spoke, the sly smile remaining on his lips.

Matt's lips twitched upward quickly, then returned to their frown while clicking on the keys of the red and black laptop. He kept navigating through the virtual world. "Are _you_ interested, Mello?"

"He's taken." Linda interrupted, knowing that it was rather rude. She gave a small and shy smile, rubbing her arm slightly. "I'm sorry, boys."

"Really?" Blue eyes looked from gray to brown. "He must be a lucky guy."

"I'm not homosexual." Near answered, a small frown on his features. "I'm Linda's boyfriend."

The tapping on the keys immediately stopped as eyes flickered up from the bright screen that was hidden by orange goggles. "You're what?"

"Guys…" Linda kept smiling, trying to push the awkward atmosphere away. She motioned over to the guy standing in front of her. "This is Near, my boyfriend. The one I can't stop talking about."

There was a huge wave of silence as two pairs of eyes – green and blue – stared at the pale figure in the black, white, and red salon.

"This is…" Mello started, wondering what to say. "Near…"

"Yes." Linda nodded, oblivious to the flirting the blond tried with her boyfriend.

"Well, let's get to hair cutting so you won't be late for Misa." Matt started, turning their attention away from the uncomfortable situation.

"Come on." The blond motioned her over with her hand, digging into his apron to take out a pair of silver scissors.

"So…" Matt started, staring at the individual in front of him. His eyes flickered down to the body, quickly moving up to the gray eyes that were staring at him. "Are you going to get your hair cut too?"

"No." Near started, looking elsewhere. "My hair is fine, thank you." He sat down at the chair by the door, staring at the wall. Bringing up a hand, he started to twirl a piece of long hair. He didn't notice the green eyes that watched him from behind the orange goggles, but he did notice the eyes that were flickering in the mirror after a few minutes. Gray eyes stared at the hairdresser that was cutting his girlfriend's hair, staring at the other's body. Dull irises trailed down the man's blond hair that was tied in a ponytail, down to the black shirt that was covering his shoulders and broad back, the black pants, and black shoes to match with the outfit. He barely paid attention to the white apron that had a large 'L' in front of it with the same Old English MT font as the front of the store.

Shifting his eyes away before Mello caught sight of his own, he stared over at the man that was currently typing on the keyboard. He observed the red hair, thinking about how rare it was and if the man behind the keyboard was naturally a redhead or not. Shifting his eyes again, he looked at the pictures of a lot of women that had different hairstyles with diverse colors. He shifted his eyes again, taking note that there weren't any clients. The only ones in the salon were the four, which made the white-haired man confused.

He shifted his eyes once more, he caught the salon worker's eyes in the mirror. Before he could analyze what the emotions were behind it, they were turned down to the wet locks of brown hair. Turning his gaze elsewhere while his finger continued to twirl his hair, he couldn't help but think of the earlier situation that happened a few minutes ago.

_Even though Linda is my girlfriend, I felt no jealousy when Matt started to flirt with her. As for Mello, he started to flirt with me. Linda seemed to be in an awkward position when he started, but she quickly stopped it. They seem to know her by name. She seems to be a regular client here. Does this mean that Matt is interested in her and Mello is interested in me? I have never had a man interested in me before. To be honest, my feelings toward Linda… I have doubted them since I got in a relationship with her. I only said 'yes' because… she is the only one that comes close to my expectations of being considered intellectual. She knows a lot about photography, but even now, it doesn't seem enough._

"Did you see that case on the television about that guy? He pleaded being insane." Linda started, looking up at the blond hairdresser that was cutting her hair. "Do you really believe he is, Mello?"

He continued to cut her hair, shifting his blue eyes away from the white figured that was sitting at the door with comfortable pajama clothing. He gave a small smile, knowing that Near was smart due to Linda's comments every time she came in for a regular haircut. "No, I think he's sane. I'm not a psychologist, but anyone can see it. He says that he has an addiction to drugs, but it's obvious he isn't. He isn't showing any withdrawal symptoms."

Linda gave a small smile, not being able to nod due to the scissors that were currently cutting her hair. "I guess… I noticed that, but I thought they would be giving him something."

"Like I said, I don't know, but I doubt he's insane." Mello cut a few more brown strands, letting them fall onto the ground.

"Near thinks that he's not insane either, but I don't see it that much." She spoke, moving her head when Mello's hand repositioned it. Brown eyes stared at the strands of hair on the ground, the small smile still on her features. "Maybe you two are just too special for it. Have you thought about going to the local university to get a job as a detective?"

"I don't have enough money." He answered, flickering his eyes toward the mirror, staring at gray eyes that were looking back at him.

"You don't?" Linda asked, not noticing the interaction that was going on through the mirror.

"No." He replied, cutting a few more strands. "Besides, I got this good job and I rather not leave Matt alone. He's a lazy guy and I look out for both of us at times."

"Oh…" Her voice trailed off, a small hint of sadness behind it. "Don't you get paid enough here? I mean, just for a normal haircut its $200, right?"

Near's eyes slightly widened at that, staring at the two. He gave a small frown, wondering why Linda would spend a lot of money on her hair. _Then again, she is a girl. Girls really like to have nice things and this might be one of them. Also, with her photography job, she does get a good pay. I should ask her to stop spending too much on materialistic things. I dislike them, to be honest, and they're useless items to have. I rather have a textbook than a haircut if it costs this much. Then again, it's that Misa girl she's always trying to impress. Is this the reason why this place does not have enough costumers right now?_

"Yes, our boss pays us rather well." Mello said, putting the instruments away. He grabbed a black blow-dryer and round brush. Starting to work on her hair, he gave a small smile. "He's real nice, to be honest. We thought he was going to be a weird person, but no, he's actually pretty cool."

"What's his name? Why is he never here?" She asked, giving into her curiosity.

"That's confidential." The hairdresser teased, a small smile on his features. "He doesn't want us to share his information for some reason. I don't know why either nor do I ask. He doesn't seem like the shady type and I rather not get into what's not my business."

"He sounds cool already." Linda smiled gently, watching at Mello smoothly worked through her hair to make it level and dry.

As the both kept idly chatting about things, Near's gray eyes trailed with the other's motions of his hands. He could feel Mello's eyes on him through the mirror a couple of times and wondered if he was that attractive to him. _Mello is attractive, though. I wonder why he's single if he seems to have it all. By listening to the conversation, most people think that the criminal is legally insane, but he and I see it differently. He has the body of what women want, but is he only interested in men? Does he also have high expectations?_

"Alright, we're finished." Mello spoke, staring at the work in front of him. He moved his tanned fingers throughout the girl's hair, a small smile on her lips as he admired his work. "You can pay Matt when you walk out." He stretched a bit again.

"Thanks, Mello." Linda smiled, hopping off the chair and walking over to the front desk after he had removed the materials from her body. "So, why did you both come here to Los Angeles from England?"

Matt held out his hand for the balance due and gave a small shrug. He tapped his fingers lightly against the desk. "Why not tell me first, cutie?"

Her cheeks slowly tined a color pink. She dug her hand into her pocket and opened her light blue wallet, handing over the money. She gave a small smile at that. "I rather not say, but Nia is from England too. Maybe we can all talk about it someday."

"Sure." Matt said, not interested on what she said. He took the two hundred dollar bills from the girl. He gave a small smile that barely showed any effort and slipped the dollar bills into the cash register. "Well, I'll see you when, in…?" Matt asked, clicking on the keyboard a few more times.

"Three weeks, Matt." Mello commented, grabbing a water bottle. He opened the cap, nearly gulping all of its contents as he gave a small sigh. "Ah."

"Sure, does that work for you, Linda?" He looked up from the screen, his goggles concealing his emerald eyes.

"Yes." Linda nodded, turning around to look at Near. "Nia, why don't you try and get a haircut? I'm sure you'll like the experience, really!"

"I don't want to waste my money on such an expensive thing, Linda. The rent of my apartment in this city is already enough." He spoke, continuing to twirl his long lock of hair.

"I'll pay for it." She gave a small smile. "I mean, you haven't gotten one since you've arrived from England, right?"

"Yes, that is correct, but it is not necessary."

"Near, that was almost a year ago. I'm surprised that it just reaches your neck." She quickly turned her attention over to Matt, ignoring her boyfriend behind her. "He'll take a slight trim." She opened her wallet again, taking out two more hundred dollar bills and handed them over to the black gloved hand.

"…" Near said nothing, knowing that Linda had already made the transaction. He felt the texture of his own hair, knowing that in certain areas it was long enough to wrap a few times around his finger. _Perhaps she is right about this. Perhaps I do need a haircut. I dislike having long hair and due to the priorities, I have not been able to look for a good hair salon that is cheap._

Suddenly, a phone ringing broke the silence from the four. Linda quickly went into her pocket and took her phone, answering quickly. "Yes?" Her eyes slightly widened at the voice on the other line. "Oh, what?! Yes, of course! I'll be right there." Quickly hanging up, she turned her attention to Near. "I have to go. The camera broke and I have to go over and fix it. Take the haircut, Nia. Matt, Mello, don't let him take the money back." With that, she quickly left, a small triumph smile on her face.

"Sure thing, cutie." Matt spoke, hitting the keys a bit lazily.

"…" Near remained quiet, staring at the two of them with an emotionless face. _I don't feel the need to defend Linda nor do I feel jealous. I know this is a bad sign since Matt may take it as a sign to go after her, but then again, do I really want that?_

"Come here." Mello commanded, motioning him over. "Let's cut that hair."

Near said nothing, walking over slowly. Sitting down on the chair, he looked down at Linda's brown hair that lay on the ground. Feeling Mello wrap a sheet around his body and snap it with the buttons at the back, he remained quiet, continuing to stare at the blond's actions. He watched as a tanned hand reached over to get a thin piece of paper, wrapping it around his neck. Near shifted his eyes a bit to the mirror when he felt Mello's fingers brush against his neck a bit longer than they were supposed to. "…"

"How short do you want the trim?"

Thinking about his response, he dug into his phone pocket and dug out his phone. Going through the apps and finally going into the 'Gallery' file, he held up the phone with a bored expression. The picture showed Linda and Near hugging each other, Linda smiling and Near's emotionless face staring directly at the camera while the Big Ben was in the background.

"Alright, I can do that." He gave a small nod at the image, staring at how the hair was layered and how short the locks were. "You know how to talk though, don't you?" He asked, taking the scissors that he had used previously.

"Yes." Near answered, wondering what Mello wanted him to answer. He stared at the scissors in the other's hand that were put away in the apron, being replaced by a small red water bottle and a black comb. "Do I need to communicate with you while having my hair cut?" The white-haired boy asked bluntly, looking at the other dead in the eyes through the mirror. He was almost content with the small frown that was on the other's lips with the matching annoyed look in the crystal blue eyes.

"No, you don't. You have that right or are you asking a rhetorical question?" He slightly barked, his eyes full of emotion and determination.

Near's eyes slightly lit up with the same emotions, his lips twitching a bit, but stopping in their tracks at the other's reaction. "I don't know, Mello. Aren't you smart enough to figure it out if you are smart enough conclude that a criminal is not mentally insane?"

Sky blue irises slightly widened at the comment, but quickly regained their composure. "I think you were being a big-headed person." He answered, starting to spray water on the snowy white locks. There was a small ghostly smile on his face. "You know, those types of people that think they know-it-all."

Slightly pale lips slightly twitched at the word, but instead, he found the hairdresser interesting. He knew that they were beginning to play a game of who could insult the other more without using harsh words and Near was reeled into the game almost immediately, taking Mello's invite. "I am a genius."

"Oh?" Mello asked, continuing to spray the white locks wet. "Are you sure you're not someone who's just a wannabe?"

"Would you like to test each other's academic knowledge?" Near asked, feeling the comb go through his now-wet hair.

"If you think you can try." The blond's lips turned into a small smirk as he stared at the other.

"Alright then, you're on." He kept combing gently through the white hair, the opposite of what his words were portraying – strength and confidence.

Near said nothing, waiting for the first question to be begin. Soon after, the question came, and he answered it, knowing the answer immediately. Staring at the hairdresser's baffled look, he asked a question quickly, catching the other off guard. Soon, the questions that were only answered were pure criminology questions and 'what if' scenarios. Every single question that they had thrown the other, going back in history to famous murders, they got everything correct. Both of them knew the difference from myth and pure facts that the public had given them. Soon after, the questions stopped completely. Both eyes were bright with interest, a tiny smile on Near's face that matched with the small smirk on Mello's lips.

"Alright, we're all done." The hairstylist spoke, running his fingers through the pure white locks of hair. He slipped his hand throughout them a bit longer, letting his hand slightly linger there for a few more seconds that were obvious to the other. "Do you use anything in your hair? It's rather soft."

"I don't use anything on it." Near spoke, staring at the lingering fingers through the mirror. He felt his lips wanting to twitch slightly, but held it back. Subconsciously, he leaned into the touch.

"I see." Mello answered, pulling away even though the desire was strong. "Alright, you're free to go." He pulled at the small white piece of paper wrapped around the white-haired boy's neck, then the sheet that protected his attire from getting dirty. "I doubt you'll come back in three weeks, but I'd recommend it for not getting split ends. Call it a free tip of advice."

"Thank you, but I don't believe I care that much about my looks. The only useful thing you could give me right now is a ride home. I don't know how to drive nor do I know how to go home with public transportation." He indirectly asked, not meeting the other's gaze.

"…" Blue eyes slightly widened at the comment, but there was a small smile. "Fine, I'll take you home. You'll have to pay me back somehow, though."

"I will when I get home."

"Alright. Matt! I'm taking my break." The hairdresser answered. "I'll be back in maybe half an hour."

"You got it, boss." Matt spoke, continuing to mindlessly click the spacebar of the laptop while reading the words on the screen.

"Get your mind out of that dating game and actually work, lazy." He held back the profanity he wanted to use, unsure if Near would be alright with it or not.

"Mm." The redhead answered, continuing to click at the key.

Taking off the apron, the blond rolled his eyes. "Clean up this mess, will you?" He didn't wait for the answer, pulling back at the tie on his hair. He set his hair free, walking out of the shop after putting the apron on the chair that Near occupied a few seconds ago. "Come on." Mello commanded.

"Mmm." Matt replied, Near being the only one that listened to it while he walked out the door.

The small male followed the other, staring at the motor vehicle in front of him, a slight puzzling look on his face. Staring up at the man, he quietly asked the question.

"What? It's just a motorcycle. Do you want a ride home or not?"

"…" He didn't hesitate with the decision of holding out his pale hand for the helmet. Grabbing the black exoskeleton that would protect him, he placed it on his head, noticing that the hairdresser didn't wear a helmet himself. "Do you only have one?" He asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it." He sat down on the bike, a small smile on his lips. "Hop on and hold on tight."

Near said nothing, wrapping his leg around the body of the raven black motorcycle and snaked his arms tightly around Mello's waist. He pushed his body a bit forward, knowing that being car was hard enough, but being on a motorcycle that only had two wheels? As he scooted a bit more as the hairdresser started the bike, he could smell a bit of faint chocolate on the other individual. _Is it this strong that I can smell it through the–_

His thought was quickly cut off when the bike lunged forward, making Near's eyes slightly widen as he gripped tighter onto the body that was in front of him. He felt a faint blush on his cheeks as his own body was pressed against the others. Listening to the motor, he wondered if the man in front of him let out a chuckle.

"Where do you live?" He asked, breaking the silence of the road even though the air was rushing past both of their ears.

Near started to give directions while the both navigated through the big city of Los Angeles, California. Before long, they were in front of an apartment building. "I appreciate the assistance." Near got off of the bike, taking off the helmet and handing it over.

"Sure." Mello revealed a small deviant smile to the other.

Before Near could think of what the smile meant or caused, he watched as the other drove off in the bike. Turning around, he walked inside the building, reaching back to gently scratched at the back of his collar. Taking up the elevator to the highest floor of the building, he stepped out of the small confinement and dug into his pockets for the key. A small frown was met with his features as he took out three items – one that was foreign. He stared at his own keys, then at his cellphone, and lastly, a piece of paper. Deciding to ignore the paper for now, he slipped the key inside the keyhole, turning it to open the white door that matched with his hair color.

Entering the room, he stared at the living that many people in Los Angeles would be envious of. The penthouse apartment was rather wide and the view outside was incredible. Walking over to where the balcony was, he opened the glass doors. Walking out onto it, he stared at the pool that was right there, thinking about his words that he thought about towards Linda.

"I am a hypocrite…" He walked around the beautiful pool that had a border of smooth black rocks, walking to the edge of it, grabbing onto the silver railing that had windows on it. Staring out into the city, he gave a small sigh, thinking about Mello's intellectual answers.

Deciding to push the thought aside, he stared at the small folded piece of paper. He wondered what Linda's message was, but when he opened the contents, he noticed that it wasn't her writing at all, but someone else's. He stared at the ten-digits that contained the area code followed by the individual's numbers. A small frown was on his lips as he wasn't sure who would give him such a message, but figured it out almost immediately. The only man that had been close to him was Mello.

"…" Thinking about what he should do with the information that was at his fingertips, he decided to close the note up again. He gave a small sigh as he looked out into the city, the sun casting off its own shadow. "I wonder if I should have even gotten this apartment. I'm a real hypocrite for thinking that Linda should not waste her money for her own materialistic things for Misa, while I'm here, at this penthouse suit with a pool that is rarely used."

Shaking his head in a bit of shame, he went back inside and put the three things on the counter. Stretching slightly, he gave a small sigh as he walked over to his own bathroom. Discarding his clothing, he took a quick shower and got re-dressed in a pair of identical clothes that were abandoned on the floor. Later, he sat down at a stool, in front of where the three items were. He checked his phone, noticing that Linda had been too busy to send him an actual text message or call. Instead, he turned his attention away from the mobile device, staring at the phone number that was written on the piece of paper.

"He is obviously interested in me and it's bold that he thought about giving me his phone number, but should I go down that path? Wait, what am I thinking? I'm with Linda, but she does always pester me to make new friends…" He started, a small frown on his features. Giving a small sigh, he looked elsewhere, twirling his new layered hair, a small smile coming onto his lips as he thought about the blond hairdresser. "He was…"

Shaking his head slightly, he tapped his fingers idly onto the counter. Instead of dwelling with the matter more, he went into another room. Walking inside, he stared at the work on his desk that he needed to get to – the beige files closed while pieces of papers were scattered all over. "I need to continue to work on that case with the 'World's Greatest Detective.'" He mumbled, walking over to it. Turning on the computer that was next to his desk, he started clicking at the keys, thinking about it. Subconsciously, he brought up a knee to his chest. "Why is he still on my mind?"

"Who is still on your mind?" A voice spoke out from the computer when it turned completely white, an Old English MT font 'L' covering the screen. "Are you talking about me?"

"No, L." He spoke, staring at the files that were scattered. Moving the pieces of paper aside and piling them up slightly, he gave a small smirk. "I am not gay."

"No, but I do believe that you are bisexual or at least sapiosexual. Would you like me to go over the conclusion or will you 'remain in the closet' as society says about humans that cannot accept their own feelings toward the genders that they are attracted to?"

"I understand what you mean." Near spoke, a small hint of annoyance through his voice as he heard the voice from the computer. He could barely hear the emotional tone of the other and relied on the words instead. "You know, you can schedule an appointment instead of hacking my computer."

"Where is the fun in that?"

"…" The white-haired boy said nothing, knowing that 'L' was rather a child. "About the recent case–"

"Who is on your mind, N?" The detective on the other side of the computer spoke.

"A man." He bluntly answered, staring at the pictures of the crime scene.

"I see…" The tone of voice remained computerized and monotone, but there seemed to be a very minute hint of curiosity hinting at the words. "Well, would you like to discuss it?"

"No, I don't." He quickly answered, wondering why the man on the other line was persistent. "Why? Are you interested in me?"

"Romantically? No, I am not. Neither am I interested in you sexually. However, I may be completely lying to you, but I'll let you conclude that on your own. What I am interested in is who this person is that has captured your attention. You rarely talk to yourself out loud in front of a device that you know can be hacked quickly."

"Is that your way of saying that way of sugarcoating things and saying that you're interested in my personal life?"

"It may be."

A small smirk was on the pale lips at the answer. Usually, he would be annoyed if anyone had answered with that since he was the one that answered that way when people asked him things, but when it came to L, he had a lot of respect for the man. He had already concluded that L was not a woman even though he had no information on the individual. "Alright, then. I'll answer your questions if you answer one of mine, it's a fair trade, is it not?"

There was a pause before an answer. "Yes, that would be correct."

"I went with Linda to a salon and we got our hair cut. I talked with the man that cut my hair on any academic side that we could think of and one academic question lead to another. He answered all of my answers perfectly and even adding a bit more that I knew but was not required for the right answer. He also asked me questions that were not normal and the scenarios we created were intriguing. Now, L, it's your turn to answer my question."

"Of course, but be aware that I may lie."

"That's common sense. Humans lie all the time, but moving onto my question. Are you the three major detectives of this world?"

There was a long pause after that. Near was about to speak again, but was interrupted by a voice on the other line of the computer.

"Yes, I am. I would also like for this conversation to be kept between us. Now, about this individual, you seem to be rather interested in him more than Linda. I shall explain before you go on the defensive. One, you talked about a man when you were alone, which is rare since you rarely say anything when you are alone. Two, you talked about him, which is also rare on its own because you never talk about Linda, even though she is your girlfriend. Three, your voice slightly changed when you talked about him. Four, I do believe that if he is smart enough, then he will catch your attention later on if he has not already."

"…" Near stayed quiet, listening to the other's conclusion. A small frown was on his lips as he listened to L's comments, knowing that his opinion was highly valued. Instead of arguing with it or going into the defense like the other mentioned, he remained quiet to analyze the situation. "He gave me his phone number." Near finally answered, knowing that it was out of character to open up about his personal life, much less talk about it to the man that he idolized.

"I see. Are you going to do anything with that number?"

"I wouldn't mind being his friend, but I am taken, L. I have Linda as a girlfriend and thinking about going with another man to have a boyfriend with is–"

"Both you and I know that your feelings for Linda are only projections that you create to satisfy yourself and society. I don't believe you actually like her and that you are interested in this man you keep mentioning. You should be happy and pursue what you want, Near. It is the twenty-first century, not the Middle Ages. Do not manipulate the girl into false hope or feed into it. Besides, if you are sure this male likes you, then, would you take the chance for him instead of being with your girlfriend? When I hired you, I knew that it wasn't because you were an idiot, N. I know that you are a social retard, but that does not excuse you from what you are going to put the girl through if this keeps up."

"…" Near remained quiet, listening to the other's harsh words. He wasn't sure why he believed L or why something told him that he was making a huge mistake by leading his girlfriend on into false hope. He didn't want a family with her, nor did he want anything to do with her romantically. There was no spark or anything from fairy tales. Even then, he had read a lot of articles what it was like to be with the person one liked and he knew that his chemical imbalance in the brain wasn't high or that his brain was giving itself pleasure like the drug cocaine did. He hesitated a bit before turning to the letter of his monitor, asking the question he would never ask another individual under any circumstance. "What do you believe I should do?"

"I believe you should break up with the girl face-to-face, explain why, and message that man that currently has your interest."

"…" Near thought about the option that his idol had put in front of him, knowing that between both of them, L was a genius at everything. He knew that the man had enough social skills to get anyone and he was currently the three major detectives in the world that everyone praised. His opinion was highly valued and right now, he was giving him personal advice. It seemed surreal, but Near was going to take it. He didn't want to break Linda's heart more than it was already going to break. "Alright."

"Now, back to this case…" The robotic monotone voice trailed off.

Three hours later, the meeting had ended. Both detectives had discussed what the other one thought about and in the end, it seemed that they were closer to catching the current killer. He gave a small sigh, which was abnormal, as he thought about L's words. He stared at the keyboard that had black letters printed on them, then at his reflection in the monitor that had been turned off.

Before he could actually go into depth of thinking, he heard his phone ring. A small frown was emitted from his lips as he stood up from the chair and cracked his back slightly in the process. Walking over to the phone that was abandoned, he stared at the screen name that read 'Linda.' Reaching over, he slid his finger across the screen and brought the phone next to his ear, his dull eyes staring at the taunting piece of white paper that had numbers on it. Reaching over, he opened the folds while placing the phone between his shoulder and ear.

"Yes?" He answered, frowning slightly when he heard the high pitch voice on the other line – it was Misa's voice in the background.

"Nia! I'm so sorry! I thought we were going to take an hour or two, but then I started to work." Linda voiced her concern.

"It's alright, I got a ride home." He answered, continuing to stare at the numbers.

"Oh, you did? That's great."

"Yes, it was Mello."

There was a small silence, then the girl spoke up again. "That's good. I need to make sure I thank him later. I won't be off of work until eleven tonight, I'll see you tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes. Linda, I have something to tell you." Near spoke, his voice void of emotion.

"Oh? What is it?"

"I would rather discuss it in person, if you do not mind." Near knew that it would mean more that way and he did not want to ruin or sabotage his girlfriend's work. "Goodnight and sweet dreams, Linda." Before she had time to respond, he moved his finger over the screen and tapped the red glowing button. Setting it aside, he stared at his screen saver that was of a tower of cards that he made years ago. His lips would have twitched slightly at the memory, but he turned his attention back to the paper.

"It wouldn't hurt to find out whose number this is." He started pushing in the same numbers onto the phone, pressing the button that was green with a white telephone symbol in the middle. This time, he held the phone as he waited on the line rather eagerly. He counted the ringing, then heard the other line pick up at the third ring. He felt his heart slightly speed up, but maintained his composure.

"Yeah?" A familiar voice spoke.

"Mello." Near answered before he could think about what to ask or answer with first.

"Yep. That you, Near?"

"Yes, it is." Near answered, wondering about the questions that were rapidly racing against his mind. He decided to ask the most obvious one, listening to the other's background. He noticed that it was completely silent. "Why did you sneak your phone number into my pocket?"

There seemed to be a small pause, then an answer from the hairdresser. "You figured that out by yourself? How cute, Near."

"Yes, I did. Now may I have my answer?"

"I'm a bit busy to actually explain it to you. Do you mind if I call back later?"

"What are you doing, exactly?" Near twirled a piece of hair with his left hand, a hint of curiosity covering his features with annoyance.

"I'm…"

"Come back to bed already, baby. We still have two more rounds to go before we break our record of three." Matt's voice interrupted the two.

"You little… Near, I'm busy. I'll call you later."

With that, the tone went dead. Gray eyes blinked slightly as he put the phone down, knowing what the other was most likely doing. "…"

He felt a small frown twitch at his lips at the thought, wondering where he missed the signs. He twirled his hair a bit more, thinking about the conversation. "Perhaps he is not interested in me after all." Near spoke, knowing that he could have read the signs wrong.

Standing up, he took his phone and walked into a fourth room that wasn't the bedroom, office, or bathroom. He put the phone aside, grabbing a puzzle that he had gotten in admiration of L before anything had started. He flipped the puzzle over, closing his eyes. "…"

In less than two minutes, he had the puzzle completed. He repeated the action of dumping the pieces back into the ground, starting over again after the ceremonious action. He felt relaxed with the repeated actions, forgetting completely about time. There wasn't a smile on his lips to show how happy he was feeling, but the emotions were still there. After finishing the puzzle seventeen times, he felt his phone ring next to him while he held the board up in the air, dumping over the pieces. He noticed that it was the same digits he had called earlier, not registering the contact as a normal one.

Grabbing it and sliding his finger across the screen, he held it up to his ear. "Yes?"

"I told you I would call you back, didn't I?"

Once again, Near paid attention to the background of the other, listening to nothing but complete silence. "Yes, you did."

"To explain your earlier question, I wouldn't mind being your friend. Besides, Linda always tells us that you're lonely and antisocial."

"…" Near thought about that for a while. _I am going to break up with Linda tomorrow and I may want to talk to someone about it even though I do not have feelings toward her, I do have feelings of friendship, if that makes sense. I don't want to pester L with my problems more than I have to. It's settled, then, I'll have him as a friend._

"Hello?"

"I wouldn't mind being your friend either." Near spoke his words smoothly with a monotone voice. He felt a small smile twitch at it, but L's words lingered in his mind. He wondered how much the detective knew about him and his personal life, but he would find that out later. "You cut my hair well and it's like this man back in England did it. It almost feels as if I went back home to get one, you are rather incredible."

"I'll take that as a compliment. I'm still shocked that your hair is naturally white."

"Yes, that is very rare. Like your friend with the red hair."

"You mean Matt? Yeah, I know. He got lucky when he entered the gene pool and came out."

Near thought the comment was funny, but instead of laughing, he brought up a leg to his chest. He twirled his hair a bit again, thinking about the earlier phone call. "He is your boyfriend, correct?"

"Matt? Fuck no. He was messing with you earlier. He got annoyed at me that I caught him with his little dating game or whatever. He used that as revenge."

"I see." Near kept twirling his hair, staring out the window at the city's lights. It was almost completely dark out, the night coming into an end. "Did you ever go to college?"

"Me? No. I didn't have enough money and I decided to move to America instead. Matt followed me along. We've been best friends ever since we've been young. We're practically brothers that get on each other's nerves once in a while, but always look out for each other, no matter what the circumstances are."

"That's rather intriguing. May I ask what you were busy with?"

There was a pause that Near thought was the other thinking hard of the question, but he kept listening to the background static that didn't give anything away. He wondered where Mello currently was, but didn't persist when the answer came.

"I do mind and I won't answer that."

"Are you a criminal?" Near asked almost immediately, his detective mode turning on.

"I might be. I'll leave that little mystery to you. You like games, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." Near asked, wondering how much Linda had told both of them. Instead of asking that, he continued to stare at the city's lights that were illuminating from different types of buildings with various sizes and different number of windows. _Mello doesn't seem to be flirting with me anymore. He doesn't even seem interested. I wonder if it's because of Linda or the fact that I am taken. Now I feel like pushing the limits of that thought. Would he react if I dropped hints that I won't have a girlfriend anymore? Would his friend Matt take that to an advantage and get together with Linda when he possibly could? That shouldn't bother me, but for some odd reason it is. Is it because I feel overprotective of Linda because she's fragile?_

"Then figure it out."

"I may not have time to figure it out completely." Near spoke, baiting the other to take it.

"Really now?" The sensual voice came, a hint of interest coating it.

"Yes, I have to think of a tough decision that involves Linda first. Perhaps then, I will be able to think about you."

"Oh?" Mello wondered out loud, then asked the question that Near had been waiting for. "What's going on with Linda?"

"I…" Near paused for effect, then continued. "I may break up with her."

Now, it was time for Mello to pause. He didn't say anything for a while, then managed a small, "Oh…"

"Yes."

"Well, I'll have to let you go. Someone's calling me right now."

"I see." Near spoke, not nodding at the other's words even though he felt like it. "Goodnight, Mello."

"Yeah, Near, you too."

The line cut off then and Near listened to the silence. Pocketing his phone, he cleaned up the puzzle pieces, a small sigh escaping his lips. After finishing putting the puzzle pieces back into their place, he placed the box where he had gotten it. Standing up, he walked to his room after turning off all the lights of the penthouse, replacing them by turning on the ones in his room. Near entered the room that only had three different colors: black, gray, and white.

Grabbing the charger from his side, he placed the phone next to his bed, on the white nightstand. His white-sock covered feet walked on the wooden floor that had none of the three colors that the rest of his room portrayed. He turned off the lights and lay down on his bed. Staring up at the ceiling that was bright, he couldn't get Mello off of his mind. _The facts that the boy knew was incredible. He never went to college, but it seems as if he did by the way he talks and even structures his sentences. However, the conversation on the phone… he seemed to have used profanity. I wonder why. He didn't answer my question if he was a criminal or not and wants me to figure it out. Is he __**trying**__ to manipulate me?_

Staring to close his eyes, he felt the mysterious wonder about the other individual. Linda was put off aside as he kept continuing to look at the white ceiling. A small sigh escaped his lips as he sat up and looked over at his phone, the urge to contact his number was getting to him. It was odd, abnormal, and Near wondered what it meant when he wanted to contact that number. Shaking his head a bit, he continued to stare at the ceiling. Staring at it blankly, a small frown came onto his lips. Reaching over to check the time on his phone, Near stared at the blue numbers that read: _10:01PM._

Touching the screen a few times, he entered the contact into his phone and labeled him 'Mello.' Stretching slightly, he laid back down and closed his eyelids, concealing his dull gray eyes. It seemed that it had only been a couple of seconds, but his phone gave a small buzz. A frown was on his lips as he looked over. Blinking slightly, he turned over to look at the clock on the wall, his eyes completely adjusted at the darkness. It read: _11:05._

Blinking a bit again, he wondered what Linda wanted, knowing that she had gotten out of work five minutes ago. A small sigh escaped his lips as he took the phone into his hands, staring at the message that he thought was his girlfriend, but was from someone else completely. It was from a woman by the name Halle.

**Halle: Sweetie, is everything alright with you and Linda?**

Blinking sleepily, he stared at the name, wondering why his mind had thought it was Mello from all people. He gave a small reply, knowing that it would calm the blond woman on the other end of the phone, but knew that it would raise more questions.

**Near: Yes, thank you for your concern.**

Pushing his phone away again, he closed his eyes slightly. Mumbling an incoherent word to even his own ears, he tried to let sleep overtake him again, but felt his phone buzz to the side. He knew it was Halle wanting more information.

**Halle: Are you sure? She seemed a bit worried, honey. You know you can talk to anything about me if you need to.**

Near closed his eyes, trying to stay awake. He quickly moved his finger over the screen, replying back to the message.

**Near: I'm positive. Thank you for your concern.**

Putting his phone away again, expecting no messages from the blond woman this time, he closed his eyes and leaned back into the bed. Bringing up the thin sheet that was purely white, he relaxed his body. He drifted off to sleep, feeling as if minutes had just gone by. Thinking about nothing in particular other than relaxing, he barely heard his phone when it buzzed right next to his left ear.

A small frown was made onto his features as he was not awake enough to control his facial expressions. He gave a small sigh and sat up, deciding to be awake throughout the whole discussion with the woman instead of going back to sleep. Rubbing his eyes to push the grogginess away, he grabbed his phone and stared at the numbers on the screen when he pushed the button on the very top of the mobile device. The frown deepened slightly when he read the numbers that told him what time it was: _12:26AM._

Moving his finger across the screen to unlock it, his eyes stared at the name that had messaged him. There was a pause at the name that had messaged him, but the bigger shock was what the message contained. Almost instantly, he wanted to smack the person on the other line.

**Stephen: I hope this doesn't wake you up if you're asleep. Are you /sure/ that there is nothing going on between you and Linda? Halle told me the situation and wants me to check in.**

Annoyance was all over his features as he gave a small sigh. He rubbed his temples slightly, wanting to sleep. He had to be awake up early in the morning and he didn't want to spend time answering questions because of his girlfriend's gossip or because of the way they were pestering him this late at night. "I shouldn't have told them that I spend awake late at night… now that I do want sleep, it seems to backfire."

**Near: I am positive. Is there a reason why you are all pestering me other than it being none of your business?**

**Stephen: I'm sorry. Are you going to break up with Linda?**

That made Near pause his actions. He knew that Halle and Stephen were smart, but he wondered what had given his position away. A small frown was on his features again as he knew that he had only moments to answer it with a lie or the truth. Knowing that they would eventually find out after the day after tomorrow, he typed his reply.

**Near: Yes.**

Knowing that Stephen would reply and with what question, he started to type his reply. A few seconds later, the question that he knew would come did arrive.

**Stephen: Why?**

Wasting no time, he continued his message and was about to send it when his world froze due to the second incoming message from Stephen.

**Stephen: Is it because she also likes that red hair guy at the salon?**

Near felt his stomach drop at the message, gray eyes completely staring at it. He felt his stomach turn after a while, sadness coming onto his features. He couldn't help but remember the encouraging words that Linda had spoken, wondering if they were true. He gave a small smile, shifting so his hair hid his eyes. "I see…"

Before he had time to react, he had pushed the icon that that had the telephone while in his contact list. Getting out of his bed, he scurried over to the balcony, knowing that he would need fresh air after this. It wasn't Stephen or Halle he called, no, it was the main source of the topic of their conversation.

A girl picked up on the other end and almost immediately, Near could tell that there were two other individuals with her. "Hello?"

"You like the guy with red hair at the salon." Near spoke, bitterness coating his voice. "You didn't believe that I would find out? You can thank your big mouth and Gevanni for it." He answered harshly, gripping the rail a bit. "Linda, I thought you liked me for me, but I can see that was a wrong conclusion. Did you lie this morning before we went into the salon?"

"Near, I–"

"To paraphrase, you told me that I knew all the right things to say, but if you like the guy with red hair that flirts with you, how is that telling you the right things all the time? And before you give her the answer, Lidner, I suggest you stay quiet." He spoke, guessing that the blond woman and black haired man were next to her. "I want her to speak for herself without any help or moral support. This is our problem and I do not wish for any of you interfere."

"Near…" Linda started, not being able to speak his nickname out loud.

When the white-haired boy didn't hear the other two speak, he knew that he hit the nail on the head that the other two individuals were with her.

"Near, I want to explain myself." Linda started, continuing when her current boyfriend didn't say anything. "You do know what to say, but why are you acting like I cheated on you? I do like him, but nothing has happened between us…"

"Then you're telling me you don't flirt with him while I'm not there?" Near boldly asked, gently gripping the silver railing on the balcony.

"No, Near. I can't believe you would accuse me of cheating. I just… I like you too, really! I do a lot, but sometimes it feels as if you don't feel that way."

"Is that your excuse to look elsewhere?" Gray eyes flickered to the neon lights of the city.

"No… I just… I wish you could do something sweet for me or romantic. I wouldn't mind taking us to restaurant, but I would like for you to suggest it, Near."

"You want someone normal and you are aware that I am a social retard and I'm not capable of those things."

"Near…" Linda started again, her tone changing slightly. "You are _not_ a social retard. I defended you when Mello came onto you, but you didn't defend me when Matt did. What does that mean? You never get jealous and it hurts…"

"You want me to change for your needs, Linda? You are the one that asked me out before and you knew the consequences. I do not care for romantic relationships if the other individual is not smart enough to meet my expectations." Near countered, quickly regretting his harsh words. He didn't want to hurt his girlfriend on the other line, but he knew the silence caused a huge sword to go through the girl's heart.

"Nia…" The photographer sniffled. "That…" She started crying on the other line.

"…" Near felt horrible inside, knowing that it wasn't Linda's fault but his. He gently gripped the metal bar a bit more, knowing that he overreacted to the girl. He knew that he couldn't make it better even if he tried and besides, Halle and Stephen were there to comfort the girl. He had nobody, like always.

"You have a horrible boyfriend." A male voice spoke, one that Near didn't recognize.

"There, there, sweetie, I'm sure I can find you a better guy than that jerk. Besides, you're beautiful, you don't need him. Right, Light?"

"Right, Misa."

He continued to listen, a small frown on his features. Near knew who the two individuals were and to be honest, he disliked both of them. The white-haired boy wondered how stupid he seemed on the line, but paid no attention to it, wondering where Stephen and Halle were.

"Nia…" Came a voice that had a lot of sniffling. "Are you suggesting what I believe you are suggesting?" She completely ignored the other two in the room, thinking about the situation even though she was currently crying, her heart still breaking.

"…" Near stayed silent, listening to her words as he gently gripped the silver bar more. He remembered that they were childhood friends and the thought of his first friend cry was something he disliked. _No, it's normal to doubt people, even the closest to you. I know L must do it all the time, I did nothing wrong other than make my first friend cry._

"I'm willing to try and work this out." Linda started, a small smile covering her voice.

"Linda! No!" Misa cried from the background.

"It's her decision, Misa. She can be with that jerk if she wants." Light spoke.

The comment made him frown slightly as he thought about the answer. Leaning against the trailing a bit, he started to twirl his hair with his left hand, thinking about Linda's proposition. He wanted to tell what was truly on his mind, but something was holding him back. Whether L was an influence or not, he wasn't sure, but he opened his mouth and answered, "I don't want to try anything."

"Nia…" Linda spoke again, her voice breaking a bit. "Could you please think about for a few days? I know you're probably running on emotions and I don't want this to be the end of it. Please?" She whined slightly, begging for the other's decision.

Near thought about it, then an image of Matt came onto his mind. He wondered if he would be a better boyfriend. Before he hung up, he spoke his decision. "Fine, I owe you that much, but other than that, I will not. I'll get back to you in a few days."

"Thank–"

He hung up the phone, staring into the distance of the neon lights. There was only one individual on his mind that he was currently thinking about: Mello.


	2. Makeover

It had been three days from the phone discussion with any of them. Near remained in his penthouse apartment, thinking about Linda's suggestion. He continued to help L on the case that they were both working on. He had shut off his phone for no distractions or anyone else to call him. He felt rather calm, but when he finished his assignment with L for the day, he felt alone.

"That concludes today. Thank you for your assistance." L spoke.

After a few seconds, the Old English MT font letter 'L' had disappeared from the screen.

Deciding to leave it at that, Near turned off the monitor and stared at the phone next to his desk. He reached over and held down the button that was at the top, knowing that there would be a lot of messages there. Instead of waiting for them, he pocketed the device and went to his own playroom.

Soon after, his phone started to buzz a lot in the pocket. He ignored it while it buzzed and received the messages from the past. Grabbing tarot cards, he started to stack them normally like playing cards. He managed to stack them into three rows before his phone buzzed again after it had stopped for a while.

Checking it, he took his phone out and noticed that he had ten missed text messages and twenty missed calls. Skimming through the messages that were asking him if everything was alright or if he needed anything, one caught his eye almost immediately.

**Mello: Hey.**

Gray eyes continued to look at the message, staring at the time it was sent: _11:33AM._ Near knew that it was the one that he had recently gotten. He continued to stare at the word, almost as if he was mesmerized by it. He hadn't thought about the blond hairdresser for a while after the fight with Linda. Moving his fingers through the cold screen, he pressed the 'Send' button after typing his two lettered word.

**Near: Hi.**

Almost immediately, the mobile device buzzed in his hand.

**Mello: Are you busy?**

**Near: No.**

**Mello: Would you like to hang out? I heard the news and it sounds like everyone is after your ass.**

The concern made Near raise a slight eye. He wasn't sure how much the blond hairdresser knew, but he wondered how much Linda had told him. Another message came soon after that answered the question that had been on his mind.

**Mello: Don't worry, Matt won't be with us. Do you want me to come over instead? I heard you don't like going outside.**

**Near: Yes, that would be better.**

Putting the phone to the side, he thought about what the other meant about 'everyone.' He had ignored all his contacts and barely read their messages of their concern, not caring about the situation. _Did Mello mean that?_ He continued to think about what he would do while he worked on working on the tower of cards.

Half an hour later, the phone gave a small buzz. Carefully moving away from the two he had put together, he grabbed the device and read the message.

**Mello: I'm outside. What room is it?**

**Near: Room 3003.**

Considering that he would be to the room in a couple of minutes, Near stared at how tall the fort was from all sides. Instead of thinking about how to keep the tower at its place, he flicked two cards and heard all of the cards collapsing. He kept doing that for the remainder of the cards that stood up high, trying to endure everything. Standing up and walking out of the room, Near unlocked the door and opened it. Dull gray eyes looked up into surprised cerulean irises.

"Hey." Mello started, not sure what to say.

"Good afternoon." Near spoke, moving aside.

"This is…" Walking inside, the boots clicked with the wooden floor. "Wow. What are you, a brain surgeon?"

"I shall answer if you answer if you are a criminal or not." Near spoke, a small hint of amusement behind his voice.

"I told you to figure it out." The hairdresser smirked a bit. "You're going to have to work better than that if you want the answer."

Near said nothing, his own smirk coming onto his features. He went over to the white couch and sat down, bringing his left leg to his chest. He looked over at Mello's attire – black sleeveless zipped up vest, black pants, and black shoes. He noticed the other's arms and how toned they were.

The shoes clicked with a sound of confidence and power as they stopped in front of the small one-seat black couch. Mello sat down, giving a small sigh as he closed his eyes. "You have a nice place. This chair is nice."

Bringing his right hand up, he started to twirl his hair as he watched Mello's body lean back to reveal the other's midsection a bit. Turning his gaze away from it, he didn't reply to his observation. "…"

"About that thing with Linda…" Mello started, a small smile on his lips. "Forget about it."

"I'd like to discuss it." Near spoke up, trialing his eyes back to the other. "If you do not mind, may I ask how much you know?"

Mello leaned forward in the seat, placing arms on his elbows. "Yeah, I can. If you want to go there, then fine, but I won't fucking comfort you."

_There it is again. His cussing._ "That is understandable."

"Linda told me that you two fought because of Matt. She didn't tell me much, but she has a feeling that you'll break up with her soon if you don't choose to go to counseling or whatever the fuck it is." He shrugged, sitting back up. "I don't know anything else. She told me that she didn't want me that much involved."

"I see." Near answered, continuing to twirl his hair. "What would you like to discuss about?"

"I don't know." Mello gave a small smile. "Why don't we talk about you? You're like that mysterious little quiet kid in the back of the classroom that nobody knows their name."

"If you'd like to exchange information, then I wouldn't mind." Near dared, staring at the other in the eyes. "I'll begin. Why are you hiding your rosary?"

Blue eyes widened minutely, a small smirk quickly replacing the shocked expression. "You don't seem like the religious-friendly type. Your real name isn't 'Near,' is it?"

Now, it was the turn of gray eyes to slightly widen. The lips twitched into a very small and controlled smile. "You are correct on with that statement. No, it is not my real name." Near stood up from his spot, knowing that to get another question, he had to be sure. Standing in front of Mello, he leaned forward and stared into beautiful cerulean eyes. There had been something that caught his attention three days ago. Leaning over a bit more, Near stared as Mello's cheeks lit up with a small pink tint. "Why are you wearing make-up on the left side of your face?" He asked, turning his dull gray eyes to face crystal blue ones.

"…" Mello said nothing, thinking if he truly wanted to tell the other why. He was weighing the options as he stared back into gray irises, not daring to look away from their captivating gaze. "I have a nasty scar under the make-up."

After hearing that the blond had no question for him, Near pulled away. He looked down at where the beads went inside the vest, wondering how long the rosary was. Walking back to his seat, he sat down. "…"

"Well, since that game is over…" The hairdresser started, thinking if he did truly wanted it to be over. Making up his decision, he spoke again, "We should go out later. You shouldn't be here all day every day or whatnot."

"No, thanks." Near politely declined, looking away from the other individual.

"Come on." Mello frowned at the other stubbornness. "This isn't any way to clear your head when you keep staring at the same walls over and over again."

"I go down to check my mail."

"…That doesn't count, Near, and you know it."

"You said–"

"Near." He said it in a stern tone. "We either go out and party or I'll bring the party to this home."

The white-haired boy thought about the decision, making a small face at the words. He disliked both options, but knew that the first one was better than the other. Instead of giving a small sigh in defeat, he turned his gray eyes to the other. "Very well, then. We'll go out tonight."

"Good. I get off my shift in four hours, we can do something then." Mello stood up. "I have to go, unless if you have food here I can eat?"

"You may help yourself to whatever is in the fridge." He wondered what to wear to the party, but it was almost as if the blond had read his mind.

"We're going out after work to the mall if those outfits are the only clothes you have. Then we'll go to my place and head out, that alright?"

"Do I truly have a say in the matter?"

"No. Good then, it's settled." Mello walked into the fancy kitchen, staring at the marble counter as he opened the white refrigerator.

Meanwhile, Near stood up and followed the other with silent feet. He sat down at the stool and stared at the other, wondering why he was so nice and what the scarring was caused by, but without the other participating in the game, there was no reason to flat out ask without expecting to receive no answer. He would have to patiently wait until their bond was closer, if it did get to that stage.

Grabbing a sandwich from the cold, the hairdresser walked over and sat down next to Near, on another stool. He started to eat silently as he unwrapped it, a small and deep look of concentration look on his face.

"What is it?" Near asked, putting effort into knowing what the other was questioning.

"She didn't put me up to it." He stared up into gray eyes. "I came here on my own."

"I see." He answered, giving a small nod. "Thank you, I appreciate it. If I may ask, is Matt interested in her?"

Mello thought about that for a moment, taking a bite of the delicious layered food. He swallowed, shaking his head. "No offense, but no."

"Then why does he flirt?"

"He's a cocky bastard that wants to get laid, that's why."

"Does he like someone, then?"

There was a small pause of hesitation, then Mello gave a small nod. "Yeah, he does. It's not Linda, I can tell you that much. Don't worry."

Relief overwhelmed him at the words and he trusted the other individual enough to take his word for it. With the feeling of reassurance, there was also a sense of satisfaction as he felt his lips wanting to twitch up in a smile. He stared at the hairdresser ate as he ate quietly, but Near's mind was racing. He wondered if he should end it with the girl he knew since childhood and let her get rejected by Matt if she did go after him after he got what he wanted from her. That would feel victorious due to what she made him feel, but he knew that it was his emotions talking. Truly, he didn't want to think about that nor did he want her to go through pain. She may have been a pest at times, but she was still his childhood friend and he treasured that to an extent. Letting out a small sigh, he wondered why relationships were so difficult instead of being easy like puzzles or criminal cases – they had logic and patterns, but romantic relationships didn't. He knew that it was due to emotions being illogical even if they were narrowed down to the sciences, it was different when actually experiencing them, there was no science to back up the normal claims. He couldn't think straight.

"Do you like her?" Mello broke his thoughts, staring intently at the gray eyes that were staring off into the distance.

Shifting his gaze back, he knew that he should answer this carefully since it could come back to bite him later on. He held back from repeating the question, knowing that Mello knew the basic psychology. "I… don't know."

"That isn't a good sign." He bit into the sandwich again before continuing, covering his mouth to be polite. "If you hesitate with those types of things, it usually matters that they aren't worth it. Besides, you haven't told me your side yet. What is it?"

Near stared at how Mello lowered his hand. He knew that he could use the card of it being a game against him, but instead, he answered casually. "A friend of mine let it slip that she had a crush on a redhead at the salon. I immediately knew who it was and before I knew it, I was calling her. I confronted her about it and my feelings got a hold of me as I reacted coldly and told her that she wasn't smart enough. She wanted to work it out, but I don't know if I should anymore. Earlier that day, she complimented about how I knew the right things to say, but that I didn't try enough to be romantic or whatnot. I don't care for that type of thing because I know that this relationship is only for a biological purpose, if we want to go that route in the conversation, but it doesn't seem worth it and I don't believe I'm a father figure."

Finishing the sandwich, Mello gave a small nod. He commanded, "Go on."

"We have known each other since children. I've known she liked me, but after she's been hanging out with that pop star, Misa, or actress, or whatever she is, she's been different. The photography isn't a main topic anymore, but that woman is. To be honest, someone else may be catching my attention and after this relationship, if I do end it, I probably won't go after them. Right now there's a slight pain."

"…" Mello stayed quiet while blue eyes analyzed the other calmly. "You never said her name those sentences, Near."

"…" That caught his attention as he stared back. "I didn't. It's distancing at its finest, but do you know what it means?"

"Other than you being hurt by her actions and wanting to get as far away as possible? No. I know you're hurt on the inside, but maybe it's not because of heartbreak. I think it's because your bond goes back many years and for it to change with this relationship… it's a slap to the face."

"I see."

"You mentioned that you were interested in someone. Do they meet your expectations?"

Near wondered why it mattered, but gave a small nod. "Yes, they do meet my expectations about being intellectual."

"Are they interested in you?"

Thinking about the question, he wondered. _He doesn't seem interested anymore. He seemed to have turned off that thought when she mentioned me as her boyfriend._ "I don't believe so."

"Really." Mello gave a small nod. "I would give you advice, but you seem like you'll figure out what the best option is on your own."

"…" Near said nothing, knowing that Mello's words went deeper than that. _I am independent when it comes to my decisions, but when it comes to the physical things, it always seems as if I need help._

"Well, my break is over." The hairdresser stood up, pocketing his trash.

Near noticed and held up his hand with the palm up. "I'll take it. I know where the garbage is."

"Thanks." Mello reached out, placing his hand on top of the other's, the wrapper being left behind. "I'll see you later." With that, he turned away and walked out of the door of the penthouse suit.

Near blinked slightly in surprise as he watched the other go. Staring back at the wrapper, he expected to have an answer being whispered or actually said to him, but noticed that there was nothing. He put the wrapper on the marble counter, staring at his hand in wonder. _Did he touch my hand and let it linger on purpose? No, that's not… Is it because of this situation? No, I'm imagining things. I __**want**__ him to be interested in me again. I know that much. These feelings… I never felt them when I was together with her, but with him…_

He stood up, pushing the thought aside. Grabbing the wrapper again, he walked over to a white cabinet door, opening it and dropping the plastic trash inside the waste bin that was a light gray. Closing the small door, he felt his phone buzz. Looking down at it, he felt it buzz again, wondering which worried friend it was. Taking out his phone out of his pocket, he pushed down on the button and noticed two messages. He picked the most recent one.

**Mello: I'll pick you up around 4:30pm. Be ready, we have work to do with your outfit.**

He wanted to roll his eyes, but clicked out of the message, not replying to it at all. Near's gray eyes read over the next one, his attention going automatically go the girl he had been discussing about with the hairdresser moments ago.

**Linda: Near, are you alright? Why don't you answer calls or texts? I'm worried about you… Please answer.**

Staring at her message, he also ignored it, but went back to Mello's message. He clicked on the screen and swiped his finger to reply.

**Near: Don't text and ride.**

Walking out into the balcony, he felt his phone buzz in his hand. Staring down at the people, he turned his attention away from them and to the message.

**Mello: That sounds wrong. I'm not, you know. I'm smarter than that.**

He trailed his eyes down again, trying to find the blond hairdresser from the roof. He didn't notice the black motorcycle or the blond individual. Instead, he replied, a very small and ghostly smirk forming on his lips.

**Near: Are you?**

**Mello: That's cold. And rude.**

Instead of replying, he noticed the bike run through the streets as a man covered in black was riding it. Near's gray eyes followed the small figure as he turned around the corner, his heart slightly racing at the thought. Ignoring it, he pocketed the device and walked inside his penthouse again. He looked over at the clock on the wall that read: _12:35PM._

"I have a lot of time to kill…" Near muttered, going back to his room to clean up the tarot cards that he had thrown down. It wasn't until moments after that he was stacking up a lot of blocks.

After time had passed, his phone buzzed again. He gave a small frown at the interruption, but pulled out the device either way, knowing that it might be important or that L himself needed his assistance. That was one of the reasons why he turned the mobile device on. Gray eyes read the message, a bit of confusion lingering on his features.

**Mello: Hey, Natalia. It's Mello's friend. What are you two doing later that's so secretive that he didn't bother telling me? ;)**

It was almost an instant that he knew it was Matt. Feeling a bit of anger course through him, he felt the need to reply back, knowing that it was because of him that Linda was staring to lose interest in him. _No, I don't blame myself. I'm fine the way I am. I may have low self-esteem when it comes to socializing, but not intellect and I know I'm better than that gamer that plays dating games during work when he should be working and cutting hair. Fine, you want to know who I am? I'll play your game. We'll see who comes out on top and I'll see why Mello kept me under a female's name later._

**Near: That's a secret. :)**

He felt rather weird using the smiling emoticon since he had never smiled before, but knew that he had to take the persona of female to continue to play Matt's game. The buzzing came a few seconds later, almost immediately.

**Mello: Oh? Mind if I have your number, then, cutie? I really want to meet Mello's secret soon-to-be-if-she-already-isn't-girlfriend.**

**Near: May I know your name first?**

**Mello: Sure, it's Matt.**

**Near: Alright then, Matt. Sure, it's nice to meet one of Mello's friends. Send me a message when you can. :)**

**Mello: Sure thing. ;D**

He didn't reply after that, analyzing what the words had said. Near wondered what he was getting himself into due to his emotions, but put his phone on silent before turning it off. He pushed it off to the side, continuing to make his towers. Looking over at the clock, he noticed that it was only 1:10PM. He knew he had a lot more time to waste. Deciding that his blocks were a better option than Mello's friend, he started to build the blocks again. _I have a feeling that Matt is smarter than he looks and lets the world know, but what is his game? I know he barely has an interest in anything, but it seems that his attention is captured by Mello. I wonder why. Does he lead on a lot of women by his flirting?_

Hours moved painfully slow for the boy as he found that his blocks were already finished within a little over two hours. Deciding to check his phone for anything important, he stared at a message that made his heart freeze.

**L: I need you at the computer.**

Staring at the time, he noticed that it was currently 3:21PM and that the message was sent at 3:00PM. Mentally insulting himself, he moved through the blocks, letting them collapse as he made his way over to the computer, freezing a bit at the doorway as he stared at the black 'L' on the screen with a white background. Walking over a bit slowly while gaining his composure, he sat down, taking the headset he had gotten. Adjusting it, he waited for L to speak first.

"That took longer than usual."

"It did, I apologize."

"I don't care what goes on with your personal life, but I do expect for you to come when necessary or at least check your phone. I know that these aren't normal sleeping hours and there is no excuse." L said harshly, even though the robotic computerized monotone voice.

"I'm sorry." Near answered, knowing that he had insulted his own idol and made himself look like a fool. He knew that even the two words weren't enough for the great detective, who had a bit of time on his hands trying to solve the harshest cases in the world.

"As you know, humans die." L didn't even address the apologies. "However, I want the name 'L' to live on through another generation, if possible. I know the justice of the world is not… perfect, per say, and I want a successor."

"…" Near stayed quiet, listening to the other words. He wasn't going to get ahead of himself.

"You are the runner-up for my title, N. There is also another participant that goes by 'M.' Both of you are the closest I would even consider."

"I see. I appreciate it." Near felt a small smile tugging at his lips, knowing that the title itself meant a lot. He wondered why he felt extreme desire for it, but pushed the yearning aside again when L started to speak.

"Separately, both M and you do not surpass my intelligence. Together, however, you both do. I don't know if it would be possible for both of you to work together. I am aware that both of your personalities may clash and in the end, the decision rests with both of you if you want to be 'L' or not. If you do not want to be, then I'll simply choose."

"Of course." Near spoke, knowing his immediate answer. "I wouldn't mind working with him."

"Alright, good. I'll tell him the proposition deal, then. I want to tell you a bit more about M if you do reconsider."

"…" Near stayed quiet, wondering what L had on M.

"He is a male, yes. What I can tell you is that he works with the mafia and a hacker that he has allied himself with. He works with me as well, on particular cases. He does live in Los Angeles. Even though M is smart, he is irrational at times and is blinded with his emotions, the opposite of you. His intelligence is above average."

"…" Thinking about the new information, he felt a bit hesitant on his earlier decision. L seemed to catch up on that almost immediately due to the silence.

"What is your answer?"

"My answer is still yes." He spoke, knowing very well that L disliked it when people hesitated or took too long.

"I see, that's good. I'll keep you informed, but this meeting is over. Next time, don't be late, N." L warned, breaking the communication completely.

Near stared at the blank screen and at his dull eyes that were staring back at him. Taking off the headset, he stood up and took his phone with him to his room. Grabbing a white fluffy towel, he walked into the bathroom to take a shower, knowing that he had half an hour left before Mello had arrived. He knew that it was four o'clock right now.

Minutes later, when he walked out of the bathroom, he heard a knock at the door. Still being wrapped around in the towel, Near knew that he would take too long to get dressed. Turning to the door, his bare feet padded over. Unlocking the door and opening it, he stared at Mello's blue eyes. "Good evening."

"He…" His voice died with the unsaid word as his eyes trailed at the body that was in front of him.

Near subconsciously wrapped his towel around himself a bit more, moving aside. "Come in."

The hairdresser didn't hesitate when he walked inside. "I told you to be ready by the time I got here." There was a small hint of annoyance in his voice, but there was also another tone – a small strain to accompany it.

"Do you mind waiting?" Near asked, wondering if he had heard the other's tone right.

Mello gave a small sigh. "I have to, idiot. What, do you think I'll take you out like that?" He gave a small smirk.

"…" Near said nothing, walking into the hallway.

"Do you mind if I look around?"

"No, go ahead." The white-haired boy entered his bedroom, staring at his phone. The green light that silently reminded him he had a missed message or a call wasn't there. Grabbing the clothes from his closet, he kept listening to the steps that were stepping around. He heard them pause and he wondered what had captured Mello's attention. Dropping the towel to the floor, he started to get dress calmly and casually, a sense of feeling watched hitting his senses after. Turning his attention over to the door while he finished buttoning up his shirt, he noticed that Mello wasn't there.

"…" Shaking his head at the absurd imagination that he had, Near grabbed his phone and walked out of the bedroom, finding Mello sitting down on the white couch. "I'm ready."

"Finally." Mello looked over, standing up while his hands were in his pockets. "Alright, then. Let's go." He walked out the door.

Near followed the other out, his sneakers hitting the floor lightly with each step he took. Even though Mello was in front of him and had his attention, there was part of his mind that thought about the M that he was competing again for L's title. He made sure to grab his wallet and pocket it with his phone, closing the door and locking it behind him. He followed Mello to the elevator, his eyes looking into the distance as L's words echoed through his head. Pale fingers wrapped around the black helmet as he placed it over his head once they were outside. Sitting behind Mello, he wrapped his arms around tightly around his waist and again, his senses were filled with the aroma of chocolate. He wondered if Mello ate a lot of sweets, then thought about L. He knew that the man had always complimented how good the cake he was eating was.

The ride to the mall was a silent, but loud one. Near ignored his surroundings, tightening his arms around Mello when the bike went too fast for his own liking. He could feel the other's muscles below his fingers, which raised a slight pink tint to his cheeks. The boy held on while adrenalin coursed through his veins. Soon, the bike came to a stop outside of a huge mall and he stared up at it. He got off, handing the helmet back.

Mello left the head gear there, walking away.

"Are you going to do something to prevent burglary?" Near followed the other silently.

"Nah." Hairdresser answered, a small smile on his features. "I'm not that worried about getting my bike stolen either."

An eye was raised in confusion, but he said nothing. He continued to walk behind the boots that made themselves known by the loud clicking. Meanwhile, his mind wandered onto who the M was that L mentioned, he followed Mello into a store. He was ignoring the other until an article of clothing was thrown over his head. Blinking slightly, a frown made his lips as he felt annoyed by the action of being disrespected. Grabbing the shirt and pulling it down, he looked over at Mello who was going through the rack of vests.

"That's for being rude."

He was about to give a remark, but said nothing in the end. There was a small hint of his lips twitching as he reached up to twirl his hair. He looked at the crisp gray button up shirt that had small white dots that travelled vertically down in rows. It was now in his pale hands, but before he could stare at the clothing longer, his gray eyes slightly widened as another item of clothing came toward him. Reacting with his reflexes, he grabbed the vest that was two shades darker than the gray shirt. Soon, he was thrown a bowtie that was a dark gray, followed by black pants.

"Come on." He grabbed Near's elbow before the younger one could protest. His eyes slightly widened again as he was harshly pulled into the dressing room, not being this close to anyone other than his girlfriend before. The blond ignored all the looks that were thrown his way, a small deadly glare expressing itself. "He's just my friend, you fuckers." Ignoring the rest, he went into a changing room and closed the door, locking it with the two locks that were available. Turning his attention to Near, he motioned for the other to strip.

"…" The white-haired boy felt the shock slowly settle as his emotions returned to their normal levels. He looked at the other, a small frown relaxing naturally on his features. "I don't feel comfortable with you staring at me while I strip."

"Do you want to risk ripping the clothes because you might do it wrong?" Mello asked, crossing his arms defensively in front of his chest, the glare returning. "The fuck do you think I am? A pervert?"

Near looked a bit annoyed at the comment, but remained quiet. He put the clothes at a chair and turned to face the blond, his cheeks coloring themselves pink. He started to unbutton the buttons of his shirt, feeling exposed. He felt as if he was cheating on his girlfriend, but tried to push the thought aside, knowing that he was overreacting to a male staring at his body. Letting the shirt fall to the ground, he looked up at Mello's eyes for once – staring at roaming cerulean eyes. Instead of mentioning, he grabbed the shirt and pushed his arms through the shirt. He started buttoning up from the top down, placing the vest over it. Once he was finished, he hesitated with his pants, but stepped out of the faded jeans when they fell to the floor. Feeling entirely exposed in front of the man he had barely met only three days ago, he grabbed the fine black pants and slipped them on. He noticed that the silk was rather comfortable and tried to pay no attention to the roaming eyes that were traveling throughout his body.

"Here." Mello finally spoke, grabbing the bowtie and wrapping it around Near's neck lightly. He tied it in front and left it in a neat bow. Taking a few steps back to admire his work, he gave a small smile. "There we are. You look hot." He turned Near around by gripping his shoulders, staring at the individual in the body mirror that was attached to the wall.

Near tried not to react, but felt his cheeks warm up at the other's touch and his words. He felt a small smile pull at the corner of his lips as looked into cerulean eyes through the mirror, like the day at the salon. Feeling Mello's hot breath against the back of his neck as intense eyes kept staring at him, his body shivered lightly. Inside, he felt small tingles and heart beginning to beat quickly. Paying no attention to it, Near looked down at his sneakers. "I know that the shoes will be an issue."

"Yeah, they will be." The hairstylist spoke, pulling his hands away from the smaller individual. "We'll have to get you some good dressing shoes."

"Those are expensive." Near noted out loud.

"Yeah, but do you want to look like you have style or do you want to look like an idiot?"

The young detective said nothing as he wanted to sigh. He held back due to the blond, knowing that the bill would be too much. "Alright, then I'll get them."

"Good, but before we go, do you like what you see?" Mello motioned over to the mirror.

"Yes, I do." Quickly bringing up his hands, he started to unbutton the clothing and took everything off. Slipping back into his normal attire, he looked up at the other, beginning to twirl his hair with his finger. "May we go get the shoes? I do believe you said that we were going to stop by your home to get your own things?"

"Yeah." The blond answered, walking out of the dressing room and going to the store he knew.

The ride home was rather awkward since Near had to hold onto Mello while holding onto the bag that contained his old clothing and sneakers. He felt as if the clothes were a new piece of skin and wondered what Mello was going to wear. He knew that he disliked changing in a public bathroom into new clothes and having a man tie his bowtie around his neck while other males watched. Suddenly, the bike came to a stop at an apartment building in a gated community.

"We're here." Mello spoke up, turning off the ignition to the motorcycle.

Near pried himself away from the hairdresser's body and bike, staring at the apartment. He looked around, then back at him. "You already have your outfit, correct?"

"Yeah, I go out." The other mocked, a small smirk on his face. "I'm not a hermit. Oh, Matt might be home." He warned, forgetting the small detail.

"…" Near said nothing as Mello opened the door and let them inside. He walked inside after the other, immediately listening to sounds that he knew was familiar. There, lying down on the couch, he noticed that Matt's body was on it with a laptop on his chest. He felt a bit of emotions swell through him as his eyes tried to avert elsewhere, but the anger from three days ago came back.

"Hey, Mels." Matt spoke, continuing to idly tap at the spacebar. "You going out?"

"Yeah." Mello looked over to Near. "Wait here." He quickly left to one of the room that was down the hallway.

The young detective remained quiet while he remembered that he had given permission for Matt to take his number. He wondered if Matt had figured out that there was no 'Natalia,' and that there was only 'Near.' The minutes felt torturous standing there, but Near kept his composure. Listening to the click of the spacebar now and then, he trained his eyes elsewhere. Rising up the hand that didn't have the bag, he started to twirl his hair.

"You look handsome and geeky." Matt spoke, his orange goggles concealing his eyes.

"Thank you." He automatically replied, wondering what color eyes were behind the eyewear.

"…" Matt shifted a bit, continuing to press the spacebar.

Question after question roamed through Near's head as he wanted to ask Matt about Linda. He knew that he had to make a decision and was concluding that the only reason he got upset and angry was because he would be losing to Matt. The individual in front of him was a lazy gamer and by the look of it, he barely cared. Near, from an overprotective brother's point of view, felt that Linda deserved better and knew that the guy in front of him wasn't even close.

"Ready to go?" A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Looking over at Mello, he didn't have time to react when the bag was taken from him.

Placing it down on the glass table, he looked over at Matt. "Hey, I might be back tomorrow morning or something. I'm going to party with this one."

"Have fun." Matt spoke and Near wondered if he heard the small tone of bitterness with the two words.

"Thanks." Mello smiled, walking out of the residence. Near followed, wondering if the blond loved the color black that much. In front of him, he had a white button up shirt, black tie that wasn't tied and hung loosely around his shoulders, black pants and shoes, and a white belt that had silver studs decorating it. In his right hand, there was a black vest. "I'll deliver your clothes tomorrow or something, so don't worry about them."

"I'm not." Near confessed, wondering if it was a lie. He wasn't sure why, but any belongings left anywhere that wasn't his home left him a bit uneasy.

Soon after that discussion, the two found themselves at a local nightclub. He looked up at the neon lights since it was already nighttime, staring at the beautiful blue letters that illuminated. The name of the nightclub was one word, but the beautiful Vladimir Script made up for it. 'Adrenalina.'

Almost on cue, Mello answered the question the he was about to answer in his own mind. "It means 'adrenalin' in English." He walked inside, staring at the contents.

Near followed after, knowing that the word outside could have been three languages other than English – French, Spanish, or Italian. The name 'Los Angeles' and 'California,' helped him narrowed it down to the Spanish. Gray eyes scanned the area, thinking that the name fit almost perfectly with the atmosphere. He stared at the back of Mello's head, wondering if he knew Spanish.

"Come on." He walked over to the bar and sat down at a tool. He gave a small smile to the waitress. "Tres mojitos, señorita." Mello spoke, his accent rather heavy while trying to pronounce the proper name of the foreign drinks.

"Mello." The woman smiled, a heavy accent when pronouncing the English name. "I'll be right with you, sweetheart. Try working on your Spanish in the meantime, it sounds terrible."

"Thanks…" The hairstylist seemed a bit insulted, but paid no attention to it.

"I believe you come here often?" Near semi-asked, looking at the man that was next to him. He felt a bit odd at hearing the song that was currently playing that had a lot of beats to them – he wasn't sure what they were saying. All the words sounded jumbled up and he could make out very few words, but he doubted that they resembled anything in English. After a while, he had given up on the loud singers.

"I don't know." Mello smirked a bit, staring at him. "Is that a question you're asking me that's personal? Are you trying to get us to play the game?"

"No, I was merely asking." Near smirked back the same way. "If you want to play the game, then I wouldn't mind, but I thought we were here to have fun?"

"Oh, we will, don't worry." He looked over as the woman came with three glasses.

She set them down in front of them, a small smile on her lips. "¿Es tu novio?"

"No." Mello shook his head, smiling a bit, knowing exactly what the woman meant. He wondered why the woman thought that every guy friend he brought over was his boyfriend. First it happened with Matt, now with Near. He chuckled a bit at the thought.

Near wondered what the woman was asking, but stared at the drinks with a hint of curiosity. Gray eyes ran over the clear glass. Inside, there were leaves and pieces a piece of lime wrapped around the outer rim of the glass, almost as if it was a lemonade drink.

"Drink it." The blond demanded when the woman bartender left. "I ordered you two."

Leaning over, Near took the drink in his hand. He sniffed at the leaves lightly, knowing that it was spearmint almost immediately. He felt a bit nervous at the drink, but pressed his mouth lightly over at the purple straw that stuck out. Taking a sip, he felt the alcohol burn his throat as he managed to swallow it, but made a small sour face. Instead of just judging it immediately, he took another sip and started to drink the liquid a bit eagerly. His senses could taste the sweetness, burning, and even the citrus fruit that made the combination slightly addicting.

"Good, right?" Mello asked as he took his own drink. He gave a small smile.

"Yes, very." He would have to ask the other what the drink was called again, wanting to have some once in a while.

After the three glasses were finished, the blond took him out to the dance floor. However, Near's mind was already a bit foggy due to the alcohol and he mindlessly followed. His lips turned into a frown as he nudged the other a bit. "Mello…" He couldn't hear the slur of his own voice.

"Let's dance." The hairdresser started to move against the music's beat while a woman was singing, the sound of wolves coming on now and then. Taking Near's hands in his own, he started to guide the other, having a feeling that Near didn't know what he was doing.

The white-haired boy tried to follow the sounds of the beat, but everything was going too fast. He started to move against the other, closing his eyes in pure pleasure. Without thinking of his actions, Near wrapped his arms around the blond haired man, starting to move against him as the song changed.

This time, it was two men and one woman singing. Near could feel under his fingertips the man he was dancing with stiffen up. He gave a small smile, feeling his head turning mistier while his judgment was slowly slipping away. "Mello…" He whispered heatedly into the other's ear.

"Near…" Mello answered, wondering if he should take the advantage of the situation or not. He disliked the song that was taunting his every action. Listening to the song was one thing, but knowing what half of the lyrics meant because it was the bartender's favorite song was another. He shifted a bit, continuing to clutch his black blazer in his hand.

The young detective kept moving fluidly against the other, but it was rather painful to watch from Mello's eyes since the moves were horrid. Near leaned into the other's ear, whispering words sensually in the other's ear. "I'm hot for you."

A shiver ran up and down Mello's spine as he pulled back a bit, but was pulled back when arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. Cerulean eyes widened slightly as he stared at the lustful haze from the other's glossy eyes. "Near, you're drunk." He flat out said, trying to take control of the situation before his shock and other emotions took control. "Haven't you had a drink before?"

"No…" Near trailed off, leaning up against the other. "Mello, I'm hot…"

"Fuck, great." The hairstylist frowned a bit, feeling like an idiot for not asking if the other knew his alcohol limit or if he had anything in his stomach. "We should get you home and hydrated before you do anything stupid." Mello pulled back from the other when Near leaned up for a kiss. A small blush came onto his features. Turning his gaze elsewhere, he looked at the woman bartender that winked and held up her thumb.

"Mello…" Near breathed.

"Shit." He unwrapped his arms from the other, wondering if he knew that the drink had 10% alcohol. Now, the guy probably had more than that, but he wasn't going to do the math right now. He knew that Near was completely drunk. Walking back to the bar, he paid his debt.

"Going so soon?" Came the voice from the beautiful Hispanic lady.

"Yes. He drank too much." Mello answered for them, walking away. Staring at his motorcycle with a Near that was slumping against him, he barely heard the woman saying goodbye.

"You're hot…" Near mumbled to nobody in particular.

"You're drunk, that's what you are." He gave a small sigh, knowing that it would be dangerous to drive his motorcycle and to drive with a drunken person behind him. He knew that the alcohol limit could possibly be high in his own system and he didn't want to risk it with the police. Walking to the street, he took out his cellphone and looked at his contacts. Scrolling through them, he paused at Matt's name. "No… I don't need a violent outburst."

"Mmm." Near hugged Mello a bit tightly, shivering lightly. "I'm cold." He hiccupped slightly, the physical effects of the alcohol taking their toll.

"Here." Mello dialed a number, opening his black blazer and setting it on the other's shoulders. "You're an idiot, you know. You could have _told_ me that you've never had a drink in your life before and we wouldn't be in this mess. Do you know anything about alcohol?"

Near frowned at the question, but wrapped the black blazer around his figure more. "I know about the ones in English, not the ones in Spanish…"

"I'll keep that in mind." The hairstylist wrapped a protective arm around Near when he noticed a man looking at them with a certain look. He talked into the phone, ordering a taxi for them. After that, he hung up and waited patiently, trying to keep the white-haired boy calm from his hormones that kept leaning against him sexually. "Stop it, we're in public." Mello hissed.

"…" Near remained quiet, letting his arms stay wrapped around the other's waist as he closed his eyes. "I'm sleepy and want a pillow…"

"I'm sure _that's_ what you want." He said sarcastically, but wrapped his arm tighter when a man gave a small smirk. He shot daggers to the other, feeling his emotions stir up violently inside. "The fuck are you looking at?" Mello questioned before he could take time to analyze the words that came out of his mouth.

"That fine thing in your hands." The man answered.

"Fuck off and I don't mean with us. He's mine."

"I wouldn't mind taking on that bet." The man dared.

"Really? I don't think I would be comfortable with that, if I were you." A third voice answered.

Cerulean, gray, and black eyes looked over at the third party. It was a male that was standing tall with red hair, orange goggles, cigarette in mouth, black and red stripped shirt, with a fluffy tan sleeveless sweater, black gloves and shin-high boots.

"And you are?"

"Nobody you should concern yourself with. Now get the fuck out of here before you get me pissed off and I kick your ass." Matt spoke with venom in each word, eyes glaring behind the goggles. "Or do you want me to beat you up, take your phone, call your wife, and tell her that you're at this bar, trying to rape people?" He smirked a bit, bringing up black gloved fingers to pull at the cigarette, blowing smoke out.

"…" The man said nothing, walking away from the scene. He mumbled a few of profanities as he continued to walk down the street.

"…" Matt turned his attention to the other two. "Come on, I got my car parked over there. I'll take you both home."

"I didn't need your help." Mello spat almost immediately, a small frown on his lips.

Matt smiled a bit, ignoring the comment. "I know you could have and I'm not being sarcastic, but it's better to stay under the radar for a while, don't you think? Besides, you're on alcohol right now, aren't you?"

"I only had a _bit_ to drink…"

"Well, come on." Matt motioned for the other to follow, sucking air inside his lungs as he felt calmer due to the nicotine. "Or do you want to wait for a crappy taxi that will eat your money?"

"You have a point." Mello muttered, glad that he had dialed while hiding his phone number because he knew that the taxi would call back and demand for money. He followed the other closely behind. "How did you know we would need you?"

"I didn't. I was out to get a pack of smokes and drove by. I saw that pervert looking at both of you two, so I went over. I didn't even think about it twice, to be honest."

"Thank you, stranger." Near slurred, his voice barely recognizable as it held a bit of softness to it.

"Get in." Matt commanded while ignoring Near's rare and kind words, opening the door to the driver's seat and getting inside. He started the car, tapping the steering wheel as Mello and Near got in the back. "I'll get your bike after I drop you two off. I still want my smokes, so don't worry about it."

"Thanks." Mello commented, starting to give directions to their sober driver.

After a few minutes of driving, the red car stopped outside of the building complex. He gave a small smile, turning his body to look back at the other. "Here?"

"Yeah." Mello nudged Near a bit, who was currently in another world with his thoughts. "Get up, we have to go now."

"Mmm." Near shifted outside of the car, stumbling a bit.

"I'll see you in the morning, Mels." Matt spoke as he waved slightly. "I'm waiting in the car until you both are safe inside."

"What the fuck are we? Twelve?"

"Yep." Matt answered, listening to the purring of the vehicle's motor.

"Whatever." Mello dragged Near inside, looking back to make sure Matt drove off safely. Once he did, he went to the elevator and pushed at the button that had their destination. He would have to owe Matt something later. "Smokes it is." He muttered, frowning a bit at the other's addiction, but he couldn't be a hypocrite. He had his own addiction to deal with – chocolate. He walked out of the elevator with a limping Near in tow, staring down at him when they reached the door. "Do you have your keys with you?" He asked, then the other gave a small nod. Before wasting more time with another question, he slipped his hand in the other's pockets.

"Mmm." Came a small noise from the pale lips.

Mello's cheeks quickly turned a pink color as he rolled his eyes and pushed the key in the keyhole. This was the last time he would go out drinking with someone he barely knew. Giving a small sigh, he walked inside and turned on the lights. Pushing the door closed with his foot, he somehow managed to lock it with a hand. "Come on." Mello spoke, knowing that now he could use his own strength to his advantage. "You better not get sick." He picked up Near bridal style, walking into the hallway to the left where the doors were. Knowing which one was the bedroom immediately, he set the boy down on the big and fluffy bed.

"Mello…" Near mumbled slightly, looking up at the other with a bit of hazy eyes.

"What do you–" Blue eyes widened when he didn't have enough time to react Near reaching up to wrap his arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. He felt his body stiffen slightly, complete shock running through his mind. Part of him wanted to kiss back and take the other individual there and then, but knew the consequences. Shifting a bit, he felt their lips centimeters apart, his own coated lips having a faint taste of alcohol. "Near…"

"Mello…" Near repeated, but breathlessly this time. "You're attractive…" He felt the other's shoulders, looking up at the other. A small frown was on his lips as he felt something beneath the shirt. Grabbing the collar, he pulled it down. "Your…"

"You figured it out one way to see it, idiot." The blond spoke, a small smirk on his features. "Too bad you'll probably forget about this in the morning."

Pale fingertips slowly touched at the skin that was scarred. Gray eyes trailed at the skin's color and texture, the fingers trailing a bit more. "It's burned…" Near spoke out loud without analyzing the mark any more than he needed to. He had seen this type of skin before even if he couldn't picture where at the moment.

"Yeah, it is. It's disgusting." Mello answered.

Leaning over, a small and shy tongue slowly started out. The warmness of it slid over the scarring of the skin, gray eyes closing in the process. Fingers pulled at the other's shirt, revealing more. He didn't have a thought of Linda while starting to give soft and gentle kisses that included a few licks. "It's not disgusting at all, Mello…"

"Near…" Mello warned, knowing exactly where this was headed. "You should go to sleep." He shivered at the contact, knowing that the scarred skin was sensitive. "If you do remember this, you'll regret it, Near."

Turning his attention over to the lips that were talking, he closed his eyes and leaned up, but stopped when two fingers stopped him in his tracks.

"That's enough." The blond hairstylist commanded, gently pushing the other one down. "You might want to do it, but what about Linda?" He knew that it would possibly trigger the effect he didn't want. He knew sexual temptation right in front of him was teasing all of his senses, but he held back for the sake of his own friend and from the man that was in front of him. Out of both of them, he was the most sober and felt responsible for what the other boy was trying to do.

"I apologize." A monotone voice broke through even though the effects of the alcohol were still apparent in the other ones eyes.

Mello felt a bit of disappointment shift through him at his words, but gave a small smile. "Big-headed idiot." He commented, knowing that the nickname would stick. "Now, go to sleep. I'll stay the night to make sure nothing happens to you."

"Thank you." Near spoke through his drunken state, trying to relax. "I…" He wondered where to begin his apology, his eyes alive with pure feelings of what he wanted to express – which was abnormal.

Mello thought the scene in front of him looked odd, but he was captivated by the voice and eyes that were showing emotion. Chuckling a bit, he shook his head. "It's fine, don't worry about it. I've been there before, trust me." His thoughts drifted to the first time he and Matt had drank alcohol, how the heat was intense, and how the next morning they awoke naked in bed next to each other with the memories of the night before them still fresh in their minds. He felt happy that they lost their first time to each other instead of some random girl or guy.

"Will you stay in this room?" Near asked, looking up at the other with a slightly sleepy gaze expression.

"What? Are you scared of whatever is under the bed and whatever is in the closet?" Mello taunted, a small smirk on his features as he thought about Near being more of a child than an adult. All signs he was observing were pointing to that direction.

"No." Near frowned, not being able to hold back his emotions or expressions. "I have not been scared since I was a young child, Me…" He started to say the other's name, but felt the room starting to spin as vertigo hit. Laying back into the pillows, he closed his eyes, feeling his stomach sick. "Ngh…"

"There we go." Mello spoke in a matter-of-fact tone with a small hint of amusement behind it. He stood up and walked over to the bathroom, his own mind clear, but feelings of Near proposing his body made him feel a bit different. He wanted to take the chance, without a doubt. The only person that was holding him back was himself and his morals. He knew that it was wrong and to be honest, he didn't want to deal with Linda or Near's drama. Mello knew what it would be like to be in between them and if he did sleep with Near, then he would be… happy. A frown went on his lips as he shook his head, trying to ignore the temptations of sex. He couldn't believe that the small white-haired boy had gotten his interest that quickly and felt that he should reevaluate his emotions again.

Walking back, he noticed that Near was asleep in his bed. He felt a small smile come onto his lips as he watched at the angelic figure in front of him. His heart started to beat rather quickly as he took in the sight of his angelic form. No, Near was no angel, Mello knew that much. He knew that the boy was capable of great things just with his knowledge and it seemed that he used it to his most advantage. Leaving the trashcan by the bed, he walked out into kitchen. He stared at the pool that was in view. "Wow… what I would do to have that luxury at the apartment."

He knew that Matt and he were still saving up on money for other things, but felt a bit of jealousy just by watching the water flow. The laptop that Matt had gotten had also made in dip in their spending, but the blond didn't mind. He looked in the white cabinets, finding the medicine a few moments later. Grabbing the bottle of aspirin and a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he walked back to the bedroom. Setting them at the white nightstand, he sat on the bed and touched where his mark was.

"Near…" He started to speak. Blue irises looked over when they received no response. Then, they turned back onto the ground, listening to the light breathing of the other. "I am a criminal and the scar that I hide all the time is a souvenir of what I always do."

Mello looked over to the boy that was sleeping on the bed. He looked at the slightly parted lips as he gave a small chuckle. "I don't know why, but I'm interested in you. I wanted to take you up on your offer, but I have a friend that I can't betray." Scooting closer, Mello stared down at the other's lips. "Besides, I'm out of your league, Near. I have a job helping out a man right now and I rather not put you or anyone in danger. Hell, I don't even want Matt to be in danger, but he won't get away from me."

Finishing his small rant, Mello got up and closed the curtains, then walked over to the light switch. Checking his own phone, he looked at the message that had been sent a few minutes ago. He switched off the lights and stared at the text message in complete darkness, the light of the screen illuminating his face.

**L: We need to talk when you're back at your apartment.**


	3. Almost

A loud sound could be heard throughout the room. Near quickly shifted, a huge frown on his lips. He turned over, turning off his phone by hitting "Dismiss" on his phone. He gave a small and irritated sigh, but felt two pair of warm arms wrapped around him. Blinking a bit, he tensed up slightly. The horrible conclusions were racing through his mind, his memory still missing.

_Did I bring someone home? Wait… I have my clothes on. I didn't have sex, did I? No, I don't… __**taste **__or__** feel**__ anything. Oh, my head… it hurts._

Near held back from making facial expressions that showed he was in pain. He felt a shiver when two wrapped arms around his body closer pulled him to a muscular chest. The white-haired boy glared a bit at the seeping light from the windows that was giving him a painful and throbbing headache. Slowly and cautiously turning his gaze, he stared at Mello's face that had smeared make-up on the left side. Memories from last night flashed through his mind as he remembered everything, but felt his stomach turn. Holding back from disrupting the other, Near leaned into him, trying to battle the nausea that was trying to empty his unfilled stomach.

The chocolate smell from the other's body – it was sweet, but it was also poisonous to his nausea. He concentrated on the pain of his head, feeling at peace for once. Cautiously, he wrapped his arm around Mello's muscular torso and brought him closer. He remembered the scar that he had kissed and licked and stared at the shoulder that was covered up. He could vaguely remember Mello's words from last night while he was asleep, too.

"_I am a criminal and the scar that I hide all the time is a souvenir of what I always do."_

Near wondered what type of criminal the hairdresser was and pushed the thought away when his head started to throb more. His dry throat ached for water and gray eyes looked over at the white nightstand that had a temping looking water bottle. Slowly shifting and sitting up, he held his head as a small frown spread throughout his features.

_That is the last time I am drinking._

Warmness was still wrapped around him as he looked down at the black blazer. He felt his memories return, but arms wrapped around his body, pulling him back toward the bed. Gray eyes widened slightly as he continued to look at the ceiling, remaining quiet due to Mello's stirring. "…" Shifting his eyes, he noticed that the other male was currently asleep as his head pounded away violently in his head. He wondered what type of instincts the other had to express such gestures during sleep.

"Mmm." Came a small moan from the lips. Hands snaked below the vest and shirt, sent shivers throughout the younger one's body.

Near remained completely still even though his head was screaming for the pain to stop, stomach for release, his throat for water, and his skin for more contact. Dull kisses were placed on his neck as a shiver and a wave of pleasure subdued the nausea and throbbing of his head lightly. Closing his eyes a bit, he wanted to nudge the other, but the hands traveled upward.

"…" A frown covered his lips as he shivered more at the contact, knowing that Mello was completely unaware of his actions. His heart started to race under the conditions, adrenalin coursing through his blue veins and red arteries.

Soon, the hands stopped. Near was thankful for that, but part of him wanted the other to continue. Trying to push away the thought, he stared at Mello's sleeping face. He seemed calm, relaxed, and enjoying his dream. Reaching up a bit, not being able to contain his curiosity, he grabbed a few strands of golden hair. Twirling it in his finger, he felt the softness and felt a bit at ease. Fingers trailed down to the make-up on the other's left side of the face, staring at the scarring that was peaking from underneath. Wiping it gently with his finger, he felt Mello's arms wrap around him more protectively.

Knowing that it would be his only chance to be this close to the other's scar, he shifted a fingers a bit again. Reaching down, he trailed his fingertips down to his neck. Lightly brushing the sensitive skin, it felt a bit bumpy, but Near wondered what type of pain the other went through. Continuing to gently trail his fingers, he quickly removed his hand back when the blond shifted in his sleep, the hairdresser moaning lightly while his hands pulled the smaller one closer.

Lips were next to the corner of his, making Near feel the temptation of a kiss early in the morning reasonable; however what was missing from his memory kept nagging him to not do such a thing. He pushed it aside when he heard Mello's hot whisper next to his ear.

"Did you sleep well, little sheep?" He teased, a small smile on his lips.

"I would appreciate it if you removed your hands from underneath my shirt, Mello." Near spoke in a hoarse, but monotone voice. He frowned a bit at the sound of their voices, feeling as if they were too loud.

"Oh fuck." He pulled his hands back, his blue eyes widening at the realization of what just happened. He quickly sat up, shaking his head, but didn't apologize for his action. Whether it was due to pride or embarrassment, Near wasn't sure.

The young detective ignored the actions and slowly sat up, the frown remaining on his face. "May you please pass me the water bottle that's next to you?" He overlooked the feelings of his own heart, Mello's blush, and the burning sensation that the hands left on his skin – the painful headache being too much.

"Sure." Mello reached over, also pushing the scene that happened aside and handed over the bottle of aspirin and water. "Will you be alright? I need to go."

Taking the two items, Near put the bottle on his lap as he started to uncap the bottle with the many pills. "I'm not sure, I have never had a hangover before, but I'm pretty sure that I'll be alright if you tell me what to do and what to expect. I have read articles on–"

"Alright, smartass." The hairdresser commented, getting out the bed. "Drink a lot of water and sleep. If you're going to get sick, then… well, you know what to do after that. I'm pretty sure you know what else to do after getting sick. Drink lots of water and don't even eat anything yet until it passes over or something. Just sleep, that's the best thing that cures my hangover." Mello gave a small shrug, stretching out. "I'll see you later. I have someone to meet up with. I'll come and check up on you after."

"Mello." Near stopped the other in his tracks, pausing his motions to open the bottle of pills. "You don't have work today?"

"No." Mello smirked a bit. "Come on, Near, what do you think I am? Do you seriously think I would go into work after a possible hangover or whatever?"

"…" The white-haired detective said nothing, finding the other's motives and moves fascinating. It seemed that Mello had planned ahead. Two rare words that were only used last night were spoken directly to him. "Thank you."

"Don't sweat it. I already have your key; I'll let myself in later." Walking out after putting on his shoes, he gave a small salute with his left hand.

Finishing opening the bottle, he turned it onto its side. His head kept throbbing and begging for sleep, but knew that he had to do a few things before he lay down. Popping the medicine into his mouth, he opened the water bottle and gulped down the liquid. Instead of stopping, he drank until the whole bottle was gone, but quickly regretted it when another wave of nausea hit his senses. Capping the bottles, he put them on the white nightstand. Checking his phone, he paused at Linda's text message. His heart froze in place.

**Linda: Did you bring over a woman or man last night to your apartment?**

A small frown covered his features as the events from last night flashed through his mind. He wondered if he should blame the red-haired man that had seen both of them, but before jumping to conclusions and letting his emotions get in the way, he moved until he reached the contact that had a single letter. 'L.'

**Near: I have a hangover. I'm going to sleep for a few hours. I'll get back to you later.**

He felt a bit of surprise when the phone buzzed in his hand, the loud ringing going through his ears. Pushing down on the button, he let it on vibrate and read the recent message.

**L: Understood.**

Pausing a bit, he wondered how L understood, but he felt a bit awkward about it. _How odd. Wouldn't L be angry? Upset? Wait… or is he busy with another case? Is he talking to M right now?_

Moving back to Linda's message, he stared at it, but felt no energy to write back to it. He gave a small sigh, knowing that he should have ended his relationship a long time ago or that he shouldn't have even given the girl a chance for it. Leaving it open, he laid down and closed his eyes. The smell of chocolate and cologne was around him. Near didn't hesitate when he pulled the black blazer closer to his body, thinking about the man that had just left. "…Did L foresee this?"

Feeling his heart race a bit in his chest, he shook his head a bit. He knew that there was an unspoken rule of society that one could not date your girlfriend's or boyfriend's friends for your own benefits. The frown on his almost-pale lips deepened at the thought. _Mello isn't interested in me, is he? No, he's not. Then why at the…_

His head started to throb again at everything. Shutting his eyes tightly, he grabbed a pillow and put it over his head. Sighing in a bit of relief, he heard his phone start to buzz. Knowing that it wasn't L and probably Linda or someone else, he ignored it. Turning on his side, he let his mind go blank as sleepiness took over him.

Hours later, he opened his eyes again to the pure darkness. He shifted a bit and felt a body next to him. Blinking slightly in confusion, Near shifted again, but slower. Poking his head out, he noticed that had was curled in a ball, facing left, toward Mello's body that was laying back.

A feeling inside of him shifted as he stared at the blond locks that were all over the place. Sitting up, he knew that the other was asleep. Noticing the bag in the corner of the room, he knew that his clothes were in there. Rubbing his head slightly, he took note that the throbbing was gone and that he was back to normal. Listening to Mello's light breathing to the side, he turned his attention over to the cellphone that had been blinking with a green light. Grabbing it, he checked the three messages at once.

**Unknown: Heya, cutie! It's Matt. ;)**

**Linda: Near, are you okay? Please answer me.**

**L: The meeting with M shall be soon. I have talked to him and he wouldn't mind hearing you out, but he doesn't seem pleased about the proposal I mentioned. I'll message you later to discuss the current case at hand.**

Paranoia was setting in as he stared at when the messages were sent. Matt's hand been sent two hours ago, L's was sent an hour ago, and Linda's was sent twenty-five minutes ago. He knew that Matt was either being stupid on purpose or that he was getting assurance that 'Natalia' was him. Thinking back on the messages while he named the contact on the phone, he turned his attention over to Mello afterward, thinking of what the other had told the redhead. Yesterday's memories played back through his mind, but none of them were hints or clues that could help him think of what the smoker was thinking.

_Linda sent a message earlier that mentioned that she believed I had brought a woman or man into the apartment. Matt is the only connection that saw us last night at the club and the prime suspect. No, I'm getting ahead of myself without gathering enough evidence. These emotions… they're taking control of me. Why should I care? Is it because of society's stupid standard? No, I should stop. I'll break up with her, but I won't go after Mello. He does seem to fit my tastes, but right now I have bigger issues at hand. This 'M' detective will expect at me at my highest concentration level. I don't need a romantic relationship to distract me. I'll be L's successor or part of it, that's my new goal now._

"How's your hangover?" The body to his left muttered as he turned onto his side, sleepiness all over his features.

Turning his attention back to the face, he thought he looked more attractive. "I'm doing alright, thank you for your concern." Keeping his voice monotone and void of emotion, he controlled his face. He didn't want it to betray what the inner turmoil inside was. Mello had done him a favor last night and he didn't want to be closer with the blond that had captured his attention.

"Good. I brought you something light to eat if you're still feeling nauseous or I can make you something."

"…Why are you being very nice to me?" He asked, knowing that when people were nice to him, it meant one thing: they wanted something.

"Because you're a fucking friend, that's why." Mello frowned a bit when the question was asked.

"…" Near said nothing, staring back into the fierce blue eyes that were filled with emotion. He wrapped the material that was over his shoulders more, forgetting that it was the black blazer.

"I felt bad about last night, but don't get used to it." The blond sat up, a small frown on his features as his eyes looked annoyed.

"Mello."

"I'm not an idiot, Near. I know what you mean by that question."

"Mello."

"I'm not a soft person."

"Mello."

"This will be the last time I do anything–"

"Mello." Near spoke sternly, looking at the other intently. "Thank you."

"…" This time, it was the blond be to quiet. His cheeks gently lit up with to their pink tint. "Whatever."

"…" His lips would have twitched in a smile, but there was an intuition that held him back. He didn't want the other to feel more embarrassed than he already was.

"I'm going to make some breakfast." The hairdresser left the room and was out of sight within a few seconds.

Near wondered about last night's memories. He remembered when he came onto Mello and the blond denied him, Matt saving them from a pervert, and Mello speaking about being a criminal. There were other words after that, but he couldn't remember. All the words were mutters when sleep overtook him. Bringing up a hand, he started to twirl a lock of hair, thinking about the situation from before. He felt a small blush and his heart speed up at remembering how physical he was with the blond. Shaking his head a bit, he gave a small sigh.

A tune broke through his ears before he could think about the situation he had in bed. Standing up, sock covered feet walked over to the door. He didn't care that loosely around his frame was Mello's black blazer. Reaching over and ignoring the noises from the kitchen, he reached over and opened the door. There, Linda stood with a worried look on his face. Emotions of anger, sadness, and betrayal ran through his mind as he watched brown eyes widen in shock.

"Near…" She started, breathlessly as her mind came to a conclusion.

The white-haired detective didn't even look down. "I didn't sleep with anyone, Linda. He gave me this to keep warm last night. I'm not like you who looks at other people when they're with someone in a romantic relationship." He turned the tables on her quickly, a bit of anger hinting at his words.

"Near." Linda frowned a bit, looking up at the other. "Matt and I didn't do anything! How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Yet you still have a crush on him." Near looked into fierce brown eyes with a look of anger behind gray. "Linda, if you came to discuss my answer, then I'll gladly give it to you. I don't want to do anything with you anymore."

"Near…" She quieted down, her eyes being covered with sadness. "Why?"

"I thought the reason was obvious."

"Is it the man?" Turning her gaze down at the black blazer, she looked up into wanting eyes again.

"No, it's not."

"Then why aren't you giving me a chance?" She gave a small pout, staring at him with worried eyes. "Near, I've given you so much after all these years. Doesn't science explain why I have a crush on someone else when I'm with you?"

"It does, but it doesn't mean I like it." He countered.

"Near…" Linda tried again, a small frown on her features. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I don't like Matt enough to do anything. It's a minor crush, it's nothing more."

"I don't want anything, Linda." He tried again, the thoughts running through his mind.

"I care about you more. I came here this morning while on my way to work."

He completely ignored her, turning a question back at her. "Who's the other person you have a crush on?"

"What?" Linda asked, her eyes slightly widening.

"You heard me." Near leaned slightly against the door, crossing his arms while the black blazer hung comfortably around his frame. "Did you think Gevanni would keep his mouth shut? He mentioned in the text message indirectly that there was another person."

"Near…" Linda started, a worried look on her face.

"I gave you what I owed you, which was an answer. Whoever this other person is, they're better than me to capture your attention. I understand the biological and psychological side of it, but–"

"Near!" Her brown eyes glared, her voice pitch high as she gently gripped her fists. "I do like someone else, but that doesn't matter! If this is you being jealous, then fine." She gave a small huff, looking elsewhere, then turned her attention back at him. "You do feel, you are human, and you're the only one I want. I don't want Matt, Near. I want you."

"Who's the other person?" He pushed through her barriers, staring into her fiery eyes.

She quieted down, a small frown on her features. In defeat, she dropped her arms to her sides. "Mello."

The name made his heart sink, his brain freeze, and his blood turn icy cold. His eyes continued to look forward, a look of disbelief slowly forming on his features. He knew that he had heard right, but there was something about the name that he felt a bit anger toward. He kept wondering why the man that was currently in his kitchen made him angry because Linda had his attention, or was it the other way around?

"Near…" The photographer could see the pain through his eyes and felt completely bad about it. Reaching over, she tried to gently touch his shoulder, but he moved back before she could land her hand.

"I don't–" Near tried to protest.

Suddenly, a ringing made their entire movements stop. Linda's brown eyes looked down at her pocket of her pants. She looked up at Near with a small apologetic look. "We're talking about this later…" She tried to command, her voice quiet and shy. Turning away, she walked down the hall and flipped the phone, giving one command in a question, "Yes?"

"…" Near closed the door and locked it, his eyes closing momentarily. A feeling of nausea was throughout his system as he replayed the events from a few minutes ago.

"I'm guessing you lost your appetite." Mello spoke from behind.

"Yes." Near answered in his monotone voice, turning his attention toward the other. His mask of defense was already up. "You may stay and eat, if you'd like."

"You want me to stay?" Mello asked, wondering if he read the other correctly.

Near stopped himself from automatically answering and thought about the situation. Knowing that it was best if he wasn't alone with his thoughts for now, that it would be better. "Yes. Did you know?"

"About what she just said right now?" The hairdresser shook his head. "No, but I had my suspicions."

"…"

"Near, do you want to talk about it?"

"If I did, why would I speak about it to you? In the end, you're her friend and not mine." Near said a bit bitterly before he could formulate the proper words.

At this, Mello gave a small frown. "There might be some truth to that, but does it look like I'm on her side? Yesterday, I came here instead of her place or whatever. I took you out instead of wherever Linda and I would go. I stayed the night to make sure you didn't fucking die on me. I came here in the morning and made you breakfast and you believe that–"

"It's hard to trust people."

"…" Mello kept his frown up, but gave a small sigh as he relaxed his features. Rubbing his temples with both of his hands, he shook his head as a small smile came onto his lips. "You're odd."

"I am aware." The white-haired detective spoke, walking over to the other. He turned his gaze up to meet the other's eyes. "Those are very kind gestures that speak on their own, but I don't want you to be in this mess. A question that keeps coming back to my mind is… 'why?'"

"Why I'm here instead of with Linda?" He repeated, then went quiet. "Near…" He shifted his gaze away, then looked back toward the dull gray. "I know what it's like to be alone when everyone chooses the other person. There was only one person there for me at the time and even though he didn't know what to say, his presence was enough."

"I see."

"I know being alone with yourself causes problems."

"What do you mean?" Near asked, knowing the answer already.

"You start having depressing thoughts and that isn't fair to you or anyone else. Besides, company never hurt, right?"

"Well–"

"You're thinking on it too much." Mello gave a small smile, reaching over to ruffle the snowy white locks. His hand remained lingered on the other, their gazes sending hidden messages.

"Now, what–" He was cut off when Near spoke up.

"Who was that Hispanic woman from before?"

Mello tensed up a bit at the question, but gave a small smile. Walking over to the plates of breakfast that were set out, he sat on the white stool. "You want to know? Then you'll have to give up a part of yourself."

"Fine." Near sat opposite from him, his eyes searching the other.

"Alright, I'll start by answering your question. Her name is Maria." Mello started. He looked down at his meal, but decided not to take a bite. "When Matt and I moved from England, we didn't know where to go. We were lost in this country and we somehow landed here, in Los Angeles. It was the highest ticket and it wasn't in our funds, but we did it anyways. It wasn't a smart move, I know that, but we thought we would find jobs soon or whatever."

Near listened to the amount of information Mello had to offer, knowing that he would have to do the same.

"Matt and I ended up on the streets after a few days. We didn't calculate right the price of anything and we were stupid youngsters. In the end, I was about to just agree to give up my body, like Matt was. It was better than living in the streets and that way we could do something. I was about to go up to a car when she bumped into me. Maria dropped her bags and I helped her pick them up. We chatted and in the end, it turned into a conversation."

The white-haired boy kept listening, noticing how the crystal blue eyes turned hazy.

"She told me her name and I told her my alias. She asked me what a young boy like me was doing out at night, you know, the typical mother questions. For some reason… she seemed too sweet and too honest for me to lie to. I told her everything and she felt sad. Maria told me that she would take me under her wing, but then I mentioned Matt. She went quiet, but in the end agreed. After that, we went to her home and noticed she had four young children. We knew that we had to pay her back soon and get out of her place quickly."

Near remained quiet, staring at the other closely. He was slightly fascinated by the story.

"After a while, she introduced me into her religion. I later turned Catholic and do believe in God, there's no doubt about that. Matt doesn't really care, but Maria understood. It was real hard for her, to be honest. You could tell that woman has it rough being a single parent, but she has a lot of backbone. Many people make fun or her or whatnot and I defend her each time like she did to me. One day, though…" Mello trailed off, a sad frown on his face. "She found out Matt and me are partly gay. She was shocked and mortified and didn't speak to us for days, but left us be. I knew how hard it was since their religion doesn't believe in that stuff nor their culture."

Gray eyes trailed down slightly, then looked up as Mello started speaking again.

"When she did talk to us, she told me that I could stay. She came to the realization that God made us the way we are because he loves all his children. Maria told me she would accept it because I accepted her for what she was. I asked what that meant and later I knew. Maria told me that Americans hate immigrants because stupid excuses. Immigrants take up space, jobs, and are idiots along with other things." Mello gave a small frown and a shake of his head. "I'm an immigrant and they don't say anything to me because I'm from England, the motherland, but to other people… we're all God's children and this is how we treat the other." He finally met Near's eyes.

The other's heart quickly skipped a beat as he stared at the fire behind Mello's icy eyes.

"Matt and I then noticed that the hair salon was offering training and jobs. We both applied and we both passed the exam. We paid off our debt to Maria and now I take care of her at times when she's falling low on rent or whatever. Matt and I are fine and we're getting our own living, but her bar seems to be going down. That's who Maria is."

"You rambled." Near answered, a small smile on his features. "That shows your true appreciation for her, God, and everything, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does." Mello's lips gently twitched upward. "She could have thrown us in the streets after finding out we were partly gay, but she didn't care. Now, my question. What's your past since coming here to Los Angeles?"

"There isn't much on it. Linda and I moved from England because we liked the geography here and we wanted to start something new. She also came here due to a job opportunity with that woman named Misa. Since I was her boyfriend, I moved afterward, knowing how hard long distance relationships are. I watched her work for a while, but then I knew that I had to work on my own. I started working for the FBI and CIA as well as the LAPD as a detective. It made a good profit and from time to time they call me." Near wasn't sure what else to give, knowing that L was a big secret and that it would be better to keep it from Mello.

"I see." Mello looked over at the French toast he had made.

"Mello…" Near started, bringing up a hand to his hair to twirl it. "That answer was too short for your own answer, I've noticed. You may ask another question."

"Fine. What's your sexual orientation?"

The white-haired detective paused at that, being caught off guard by the question. Gray eyes looked up at crystal blue eyes that were staring right back at him, trying to analyze the crystals before him. There was something about the question that made his cheeks gently tint themselves pink. "I personally do not care if they're female or male."

"…" The blond felt a bit nervous when the other had answered, his own cheeks turning a bit pink. "Yeah? So, what are you?"

Near shifted his gaze down and to the left, thinking about how to respond. "In our culture, there is a lot of sexualities. If I had to pick one, then it would have to be 'sapiosexual.' I'm attracted to intelligence, but I would also have to like their body. As mentioned before, it would either be sapiosexual, pansexual, or bisexual. I personally don't care for labels nor do I have time to actually dwell on it. If I want to date someone or if someone wants to date me, then it's only an answer; however, I haven't been approached by anyone other than Linda."

"Really?" Mello gave a small frown. "That seems like a bit hard to believe considering you look real attractive."

Near's cheeks slowly colored themselves with pink dye again. "I'm not attractive." He didn't mean to sound as if he wanted another compliment, but the words slipped out of his mouth before he had time to register what he had to say. Before he could give it another thought, his quickly beating heart didn't help the next words or justify the next actions that came out of his almost-pale lips, "You're very attractive too."

"Thanks." The hairdresser gave a small smile.

"If we are continuing to play the game, then may I ask why you hide your scar?" Near boldly asked while staring into icy blue eyes. "I meant every word about you being attractive – with or without the make-up."

"To be honest with you, I don't really care who sees it." Mello shrugged slightly. "I know that contradicts my actions, but at the shop… I used to get all these clients and they asked me what happened to the side of my face. After a while, I thought it was ugly and I put make-up on it. My boss told me that he didn't care, but for out of respect, I wanted to hide the mistake I did. Now, my turn. Are you a virgin?"

Near reached out for a piece of French toast, but his pale hand automatically stopped at the question as his shoulders tensed slightly. Once hollow eyes turned slightly bright with embarrassment, but Near didn't lie. He nodded his head lightly. "Yes, I am a virgin. I've never had sexual intercourse before."

"Really? You're missing out on a lot." Mello gave a small chuckle, shaking his head a bit.

"I don't want to mess up with a female. With a male, I have two options, but I know that if I don't do anything, then it'll be really painful."

"Not if they're gentle and know what they're doing."

"…" Near retracted his hand, a nervous hand coming up to twirl a piece of hair. "Mello… did you learn how to cook yourself?"

"Maria taught me a few things, but other than that, yes."

He gave a small nod, finally reaching over. He inspected the type of bread before taking a small bite. Suddenly, his taste buds were overwhelmed by euphoria of good flavors that made his lip slightly twitch upwards. "This is delicious."

"It's supposed to be." Mello smiled a bit, reaching over to take a bite of his own plate. "This thing with Linda…"

"What about it?" He continued to eat, liking the tasty treat.

"You should give her another chance. I mean, she's never done anything with us. Matt has flirted with her, but she's kept her distance. She has never seen me that way or given me any hints that are obvious of a hook-up. Besides, I'm interested in someone else."

"You said Matt was as well. Who is Matt interested in?" Gray eyes looked over, a hint of curiosity behind them.

"Me." Mello answered, looking elsewhere.

There was small hint of anger inside the white-haired detective, but he pushed the feeling aside to analyze it later – if he would ever get to it again. "Who are you interested in?"

"Someone that's name isn't Linda." Mello answered smoothly, continuing to eat his breakfast.

"I see." Near didn't press further, looking elsewhere. "I would like to stay away from relationships for a while if this does come to an end. Linda is a woman that likes me for me, but after this…"

"It hurts, right?" The hairdresser looked over. "Listen, this isn't a personal attack on you and you shouldn't treat it like it is."

"…" The other remained quiet, gray irises looking at the plate of food.

"It's natural and normal. Besides, what if she does like us? What if she does break up with you? Why would it matter? That shows you her true colors. You get up and move on."

"We've been together for a long time."

"Really?" Mello questioned, giving a small sigh. "Alright, how long?"

"Six years." Near confessed.

Blue eyes widened at the number, his head quickly turning to the other. "What?"

"We've been together six years." Near repeated.

"…" Mello was speechless, his voice and thoughts failing him. He gave a small frown and sigh, reaching up to scratch his hair lightly. "I can tell that you want to break this off, but it's the time that you spent together, isn't it?"

"Yes." Putting the piece of French toast that he didn't finish, a pale hand gently pushed the plate away. "I find it amusing and ironic. I've devoted much of my time to her and yet she is looking at other men. I put everything I had into the relationship and in the end, I receive this."

"Near…" Mello frowned a bit.

"How can I not take it like a personal attack?" Fiery gray eyes looked up to meet depressive cold. "How could I break-up with her without second guessing myself, fall to the ground, get up and date again? How could I lie to myself? How could I rely on friends that aren't here every day? Mello, you're the only one that isn't too busy. You, a stranger, and there's nobody else that knows my entire past or secret, which, to be honest, is meaningless."

"Don't say that."

"It is meaningless because there is nothing depressing about it. There is nothing there that can make me seem as if I could sympathize with anyone. Nothing, Mello. There is zero information."

"Near…"

"I am slow at interacting with people, but does that make it a disability for her?"

"Near."

"Why did I have to come from England when I had a good job over there for her? Why couldn't I have stayed when I could have been successful? Here, I'm dealing with unknown territory and organizations that I barely know anything about."

"Near!" Mello frowned, reaching over to cup the other's cheeks in his gentle and warm hands. "Enough. You're going in circles and you're going to places you don't want to go to. Besides, you're not giving yourself enough credit and don't you start playing the 'what if' game, you know what that does to the mind."

"Yes, I am aware." Near's gray eyes slowly looked up into cerulean.

"Good. Do you want to know something? Women always talk about being independent and not wanting to rely on their boyfriends for whatever reason. They want to be strong when there are problems in the relationship and it doesn't always apply to females, Near. You're strong on your own and even though it's been six years, that doesn't mean a thing."

"…" He remained quiet, his eyes staring at the target in front of him – the moving lips.

"You're not engaged nor have children or whatever, right? Then there's no reason to worry. You both are young and you'll find other people."

"You seem to care about more about me than her." Near stated with a monotone. "How long have you known her?"

"Eight months. That's when you two moved here from England, right?"

"Yes, that's correct. Mello… I am independent on my own."

"Then I'll pretend that little put down didn't happen. Also, there is no fault if you fall down, Near. The strongest people we know always break, fall down, then stand back up on their own. Friends are there to hold out their hand, but if you don't willingly take it, then you're not getting up, are you?"

"I'm aware that people need to decide to be helped when needed and need to make an effort to stand up. I would like to change topic." Gentle pale hands slowly came up to rest on stronger ones. "Thank you, Mello."

"You're welcome…" The hairstylist trailed off, staring at the close distance between both of their lips.

"Why did you bring up the topics of friends? Why do you always want to show me you're here when I know well?"

"People need to be constantly reminded or else they forget…"

"…"

It finally hit the small detective – the magnitude of the situation. Their bodies were close, their lips nearly on each other, and their hands touching together. He felt frozen, but a small feeling of euphoria accompanied it. Butterflies were on his stomach and heart, making it beat quickly. Adrenalin was going through his body as the room quieted down to almost nothing. Instead of tensing up, Near felt his own body slowly giving into the temptation. Reaching upward slightly, he stared into the crystal blue eyes.

"You should finish your breakfast." Mello broke out, pulling away from the position.

"…" Near didn't flinch or give any sign of reaction as he let his left hand fall down to his side, the other to twirl his hair. "Of course."

There was a ringing that reached both of their ears that followed with a buzz. Grabbing his cellphone, he quickly answered. "What is it?"

The white-haired boy remained quiet while the other started to talk on the conversation, turning his gaze around to look at the French toast pieces that were abandoned.

Mello got out of the seat, walking elsewhere. Keeping the phone to his ear, he brought the mobile device closer, his voice coming down to almost a whisper. "Yes."

This caught Near's attention as he followed the blond's movements with his eyes, picking at a piece of almost-cold bread.

"I'm free right now if you want me." Mello paused while listening to the other voice on the line. "Give me fifteen minutes."

Shifting his gaze away, Near remained quiet. He continued to eat breakfast, turning his gaze to Mello's untouched food.

"Alright, bye." Pulling the phone away, he tapped on the red button and turned his gaze to the other. "I need to go because of work."

"Mello." Near turned his gaze over, finishing the last piece of breakfast. "Thank you for visiting." He got off of the stool, walking over to the door.

"Don't mention it. I'll check on you later, maybe. I'll see if I can make my schedule open." Reaching over, the hairstylist rubbed the snowy white hair locks. "See you." Walking out of the door, he shut it behind himself.

Near remained quiet, listening to the complete silence of the apartment. Looking at the door, he reached over to lock it. Thinking about the scenarios, his mind quickly went back to Matt's message. A small frown was on his face as he started to walk back to his own bedroom to grab his phone. He wasn't surprised by the first two messages, but was surprised by the last one that quickly caught his interest.

**Linda: Near, let's talk about our problems later. I'm sorry Misa needed me, but I'll make it up to you!**

**Matt: Heya cutie, are you busy right now? ;)**

**L: The meeting will be in approximately 20-30 minutes.**

Near kept staring at L's message, the words of Mello replaying in his head. Before he could analyze the scenario, the bell rang all over his apartment. Shifting his gaze to the door, he walked over to his computer and turned it on before giving his attention to the new visitor. Opening the door, he was met with a busty blond woman that wore red lipstick.

"There you are."

"May I help you, Halle?" Near asked with a monotone voice.

"Are you wearing someone else's clothes?" She quickly pointed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't have time to speak right now; I have a meeting in fifteen minutes." Near lied, knowing that he had to set up earlier.

"I came here to talk to you about–" Halle started.

"If it's about Linda, Lidner, I'm not interested." Near countered impatiently.

"No, it's not. It's about you." She tightened her arms a bit more. "As a past subordinate, I worry about you. Near, last time we worked together you were awake for several hours while playing with your toys, you didn't show any emotion when you saw the crime scene photos, and… we were all really worried. You're still young and yet you have the mind of someone older. You don't tell us anything and how are we supposed to know what goes on in your head?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you?" The blond woman gave a small frown as she stared at Near's gray eyes. "You're the second person I know that endures a lot of mental…" She paused, wondering what to call it.

"May we talk about this another time? I must get to my meeting with L."

She looked a bit taken aback, but kept her face mostly void of emotion. Red lips separated to give a small sigh. Feminine hands reached over to grip at the black covered shoulders. "Alright, Near. I'll let you have your meeting, but either later or tomorrow I'm coming to see you. It's not just me and Gevanni that are worried, but Rester too."

"…" Near didn't repeat his words, knowing that she would keep on with the subject. Instead of fighting against it, he gave a small nod. "Yes, but I would like to know which side you are on before I even think about telling you anything."

"Fine. You want to know on whose side we're on, Near? Yours. We're on your side and nobody else's. We want to hear you and not Linda."

He was taken aback by the motion, but held his poker face. He could see the seriousness in the amber eyes.

"What? Surprised?" She gave a small smirk, continuing to look at the other. "Near, we understand both of your positions, but we worked under you for months now on multiple cases. Do you think we're going to be loyal to someone we barely know?"

"She's more interactive with all of you." The white-haired detective brought up.

"Yes, she is." Lidner gave a small nod. "Have you heard of chain of command?"

"Yes, I have. The United States uses the command for a lot of things. For example, it is in the army, air force, and navy. It's a command hierarchy to keep everything in order and to prevent chaos."

"We have it with you." Halle's amber eyes kept looking into dull gray. "You want to know who's at the top of our chain, Near? We call him 'N,' but he goes by 'Near' when he's at home even though it's probably not his real name. It's not Linda, Near. It's you. You're the one on top of our command and we would never betray you or be disloyal. She isn't our boss, you are. I know it sounds cheesy or whatever, but just because you are the most social rather than your boyfriend, it does not give you the authority to take away friends."

"Acquaintances."

"Close enough." She pulled away, staring at the blazer. "A guy was here with you last night, wasn't he?"

"May I ask how you know?"

"For one, the blazer doesn't match the outfit. Two, it's too big on you. Three, there's two plates of breakfast behind you. Four, you smell of alcohol. Five, you smell of the guy. Six, you seem like you had a rough night by the hair. Seven, your eyes give away that you had a hangover."

"…" Near remained silent, twirling his hair while he listened to Halle's evidence. "You're very observant."

"I'm with you and the rest for a reason." Halle gave a small smile. "I'll let you get to your meeting." She turned her body away, her heels clicking two steps before immediately stopping.

"Lidner."

"Yes?" Amber eyes continued to look forward.

"You don't believe I've cheated, do you?" He asked a bit hesitantly, knowing that the question could arise more suspicion than there already was.

"No, I don't believe you've cheated. Is there a reason why I should believe that you would be capable of cheating?"

The image that flashed through the white-haired male's mind was of last night. Pale cheeks turned a bit pink at the image and sensations that still lingered when the intimate act of licking the other reappeared. Near thought about the question carefully, knowing full well that alcohol is considered a drug that can render the mind useless. Knowing that lying would be an awful excuse to the agent that was walking away from him, he decided to confess. "I was drunk, but we didn't go all the way, no. I kept coming onto him, but he did nothing else."

"What did you do, Near?" She turned around to face the other.

"As mentioned before, I came onto him." Near paused, wondering how many details he should give his friend. "I tried to kiss him a lot of times throughout the night and even demanded coitus. I know that I licked his neck and shoulder, but that was it. Nothing else happened since he pushed me away."

"…" Halle remained quiet.

"I'm aware that being drunk lawfully takes the right of consent away. Does it mean I've cheated, though?"

"When you got drunk, did you intend for the things to happen to happen?"

"No."

"Then no, you didn't cheat, Near. The other guy wasn't sober, right?"

"He was drunk as well. We both had something to drink that night."

"That's a relief." She gave a small smile.

"Do you always follow the law, Lidner?" He looked into her happy amber eyes. "Would you report it if it wasn't the way it was?"

"You know I always follow the law. And yes, I would report it if something like that happened to you. If the guy slept with you and he was completely sober, then I would go after him. You know how the law works."

"Yes, I'm aware that alcohol and drugs take away the right of consent, which would make the case into a sexual assault."

"Exactly."

"…" Near remained quiet, then looked up at her. "I would never defend a criminal."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Near." Halle gave a small smile. "Under the certain circumstances, I'm sure that you would defend a criminal."

Near quickly thought about L, but didn't nod his head or shake it. Instead, he gave a small and rare smile.

"People think you don't have a heart, N. Rester, Gevanni, and I think otherwise. You're not a doll or an emotionless robot. We see through that big brain of yours and we know that you're real sensitive to types of issues. That doesn't make you weak, trust me."

Gray eyes fought to widen at the last statement that was said out of his subordinate's mouth. He knew the reputation he had in the work field, but never thought that the three would see it. In reality – he tried to hide the emotions, push them away, but every attack seemed personal. _Is this the reason why I cannot break up with Linda? I surround myself with knowledge, facts, and science. When you're successful and you have authority, then nobody has the right to judge against you. No, I'm analyzing this too much. I'm…_

"Near." Lidner spoke, staring with her amber eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, yes." Near spoke with a monotone, keeping his façade up.

"Alright."

Changing the topic, he spoke up, "I like it better when it's professional instead of personal. 'Sir' at the end of each sentence is much appreciated."

"Of course, sir." The blond woman added, a small smile on her face. "I'll see you later, sir." Walking away, her black heels clicked on the ground.

Near closed the door after her, turning his attention to the phone. Locking the door, he went to his message and typed one up, then sent it.

**Near: Sorry! I was. Did you need something, Matt?**

Sitting down at the desk of his computer, he typed on the keyboard slightly when he felt the phone buzz on the table. Shifting his gray eyes to it, he stared at the time and at Matt's message – he had a few minutes left to set up everything.

**Matt: Nah, I just wanted to talk. ;)**

"Are you investigating me?" Near muttered, shifting his attention back to the desktop. Continuing to type at an awkward pace, he set up his headset. Shifting everything, he knew that all he had to do was wait for L to communicate for both of them. His adrenalin was starting to run again as he put his hands on the desk. Deciding to pass the time, he grabbed his phone and sent another message.

**Near: You wanted to get to know each other? :)**

Almost immediately, the message came back.

**Matt: I did. I'm wondering what you look like to catch Mel's eyes. ;)**

Staring at the message, he gave a small frown. "No, I'm not his girlfriend." Near kept looking at the message, thinking about his primary objective. "I shouldn't be doing this or even messaging him."

**Near: I'm rather busy right now. I have to go, bye!**

"If only I knew what the stupid code for that was…" The detective gave a small frown, knowing that even messages could be read and analyzed.

When no message came back, he couldn't help but wonder if Matt had figured it out. A sound in his ear brought him back from thinking further. Turning his attention, he stared at the white screen on his computer as an 'L' was on it.

"N." L's robotic and monotone voice spoke.

"L." Near repeated the gesture, feeling his heart race in his chest. Bringing a hand up to twirl a lock of hair, he shifted his leg up while he stared at the computer, almost as if it was a normal thing.

"Before I connect both of you together, I want to set a few ground rules. I've already informed M of this."

"Yes, of course."

"N, whatever happens during the conversation stays between the three of us. There will be nobody else listening to this conference call and I will set up both of your computers to be able to talk with each other like you can communicate with me on your own. Any investigations – past or present, shall remain anonymous. I don't want anyone to gloat or anyone to bring up. Both of you shall try and become friendly for the sole purpose of being my successor. Do you understand these terms and conditions?"

"Yes, I do." Near kept twirling his hair.

"I told him that I spoke to you about him. Now, I'm going to tell you what I mentioned about you, if that's alright. I want you both to know what was said about the other to not cause conflict."

"Yes." Near answered, wondering what his idol mentioned him about to another detective.

"I mentioned that your title was 'N' even though you use an alias instead of your real name."

Near felt a bit taken aback by the information, but felt a small smile slowly crawl onto his features. A part of him knew that he should have suspected the other to know, but he was still taken aback by the time and place that L decided to give this knowledge up.

L continued, "I mention that you are like me. You don't actually go outside to investigate on your own and you use your mind power instead. However, I have told him that you have worked with agents from other fields."

The white-haired boy slowly sat up at that, a small look of confusion on his face as he looked at the computer and at the black letter.

"Let me clarify this. I have told him that you have work and do work with FBI and CIA agents while doing investigations. I've also mentioned that you are the one that commands them and you are at the top, such as myself." L paused a bit before continuing. "I tried to keep the amount of information as much as equal as possible. Then, detective M wanted to know the names of those agents."

"…" Near remained quiet, his mind racing with the possibilities of what L had said.

"With that being said, I would like to mention a few things about his 'co-workers,' per say."

Near knew that the change of voice was the other detective emphasizing on the word. Shifting his eyes to the light that indicated whether his webcam was on or not, Near felt a bit of relief that it was off. Nevertheless, there was a small piece of him that wondered if it was actually off. He had heard that even though the light of the webcam was off, that hackers could look through the lens with a turned off light. L's words brought him out of his trance.

"M works closely together with the Mafia. With the people you work for, you have no name, but I am aware that you are at the head of that group. M is at the head of the Mafia here in Los Angeles."

_I'm dealing with a criminal that has high state of power. This is interesting, but this is also dangerous, isn't it?_

"I won't tell you which Mafia it is due to the circumstances of his name being revealed. Although, I can tell you that he will keep his self-control and will try not to be as intimidating."

Near had to smirk a little at the information. "I wouldn't be intimidated by anyone unless if he was smarter than you, L. You've mentioned before that he was the runner-up to be your successor, correct? That means he is around the same level as I, below, but not above."

"You're correct. You know the exam scores I give you, yes?"

"Yes, I do." Near shifted his eyes over when his phone buzzed on the table and rang. Reaching over, he grabbed it and muted the button.

"Out of both of you, you score the highest. If you want the score of field work, then M would be the one who beat you at that."

"Yet neither of us alone passes your superior intellect at solving homicide, suicide, accidental, and other types of cases, correct?"

"There is some truth to that, yes. As mentioned before, unless if a case truly catches my attention, then I will only wait until there are ten or more victims."

Shifting his fingers across the screen, Near stared at the message. "Yes, you have told me that before."

**Linda: U r a jerk! Stop breaking her heart! – Misa**

That hit a slight nerve as he read the four letter word after the text message. A small frown came onto his features as he listened to L speak. He silently swiped his finger across the screen while the words became evident and known.

**Near: I do not speak with idiots that cannot spell properly.**

A small smirk came onto his features as he stared at the message being sent. Turning his attention over to L, he tried to ignore his phone, but the next message appeared almost immediately.

**Linda: U r so mean! I can't believe Linda would date u!**

**Near: Again, if you cannot speak properly through your writing, then I won't give you the time of day, Misa.**

**Linda: Do u know who I am?!**

**Near: A spoiled rich girl that has zero talent.**

"N."

Near turned his attention away from his phone, a huge sense of victory overwhelming him, but he quickly pushed the feelings away at L's voice. "Yes, L?"

"Then, do you believe that you can handle a case with M that will bring both of you together?"

Near went quiet at that, cursing the pop star on the other line of the phone. Instead of apologizing and going through the process, he thought about the information that L had presented to him. "Yes, I do believe that we will work together well."

"You see, M doesn't believe that. I'll give it a shot, though. He has already been briefed on the case. Would you like to hear it before communicating with him?"

"Yes, I would, L." Near looked over at his phone and noticed that there was no blinking green light. His almost pale lips turned into a small smirk, wondering what was happening on the other side of the phone.

"The case has not made it to social media because it has been kept very secret. Women and men have been reported to be murdered in various ways. The only connection between the victims is that they were not known that much by the public. They were all people that have been isolated from the world and at first; there was no connection between the victims. The MO of the killer is the same, though, and I believe that he will strike again. I won't tell you much about my opinions for you can form your own with M."

"Of course. Is this all you have on the case or will you send me the files?"

"I'll send you the files, this isn't it, but we're running out of time. I don't want M to be more impatient than he needs to."

"By giving me the responsibility of this case, this means that I will have to work on yours and with M at the same time, correct?"

"That is correct."

Near thought about the challenge, thinking about the factors. Before he could think about it more, L's voice broke out that reeled him out of his thoughts.

"This is one last chance, N. If you wish to back out now, then this is the last available checkpoint."

"I am not backing out." Near said with a bit of determination in his monotone voice, knowing that it would distract him from his personal life. At least now he had a reason to avoid everyone and he was going to take it. _I dislike admitting this, but this is the only way to become emotionally detached. After enough time, I'll break up with Linda and see how far I get with M. I will give the name 'L' justice. I will be his successor, either with M or not._

"Good, then I'll get you both connected."


	4. Domino Effect

His heart was racing in his chest as he looked at the letter. Near waited and listened to the sounds, knowing that there was no going back now.

"M." L stated when the connection was made.

The computer screen had split into two sectors. Both of them had a white background, but there was a line in the middle. It was fine and gray while the left shows the 'L' but the right showed the 'M' in the same font – carrying almost the same power.

"I'm here." The answer came in a robotic monotone voice.

"Good." L answered.

Near wasn't sure what to say and waited for his name to be introduced, looking at the phone when it get a message that got a spark going off in his mind.

**Linda: You shouldn't insult my girlfriend. – Light**

Deciding to ignore the two idiotic people, he reached over and flipped his phone on the other side, turning his attention to the two letters on screen.

"N." L finally addressed. "As mentioned before, this is the other detective."

"N." Detective M repeated.

"M." Near finally spoke, shifting his eyes to the letter. He knew that his voice would be monotone and robotic on the other side to hide his identity.

"I'll let you two catch up, but I must go attend another matter. You both will behave, yes?"

"L." M spoke, a slight warning through the voice.

"Good." L didn't wait for Near to answer; the letter quickly disappeared as quickly as it came – leaving both detectives in silence.

"I'm not like L. I'm not secretive as him nor will I be, but I'm not an idiot either. I know how far a name can get you."

Near's head perked up slightly at that, his finger coming up to twirl it as he started listening to his new co-worker. Excitement was throughout his features, but he was glad that his voice didn't show it.

"I don't know who you are or where you are right now, but L mentioned that you're here, in Los Angeles. I'm also here, I'll give you that. I'll tell you a bit about myself, but it may be a repeat of what L has mentioned."

Knowing that answering 'no' could be a mistake, Near agreed. "I'll give up as much information as you are."

"Everything L said is true. I am leader of the Mafia, I'm in line to be his successor, and I won't reveal which Mafia it is. There may be a lot here in Los Angeles or there may be only one or two – that, I'll let you decide."

Near gave a small smirk at the information, knowing that the other was starting to play a game. "Of course. I do lead a few members of my division that are working with two organizations for the government. Other than that, I don't know what else to tell you."

"You're not rubbing in that you're better than me? That speaks volumes."

"I don't rub anything in unless if necessary or it works to my advantage." Near's smirk grew a bit at listening to the other. He wasn't expecting any less of the other detective and M wasn't disappointing.

"Well, N, let's see here. You're being impressive so far."

"That goes to you as well." Near answered, his hair continuing to twirl around his finger. "You seem very intelligent by the way L has mentioned you and I won't think any less of you until you make a mistake."

"That's bold, N. Alright, I'll hold you to your own expectations."

Almost pale lips smirked a bit wider at that. He couldn't help but like the challenge of the other. It was thrilling and it seemed as if this man knew what he was talking about. Shifting in his seat, he moved his gray irises back to the letter on the screen. _Let the games begin._ "What times are you available?"

"I don't trust you with my cellphone number yet. How about e-mail?"

"I'll send it over." Near thought about what the other's mind was going through, a sensation of curiosity for the unknown arising.

"Good. I have to cut this meeting short. I have work to do, but we can discuss the case tonight at eleven, yes?"

"Are you running?" The white-haired detective couldn't help but ask.

"No, I'm not. I have a life outside of this that I need to keep up. Besides, the next victim won't appear for a while. There's a certain pattern and if you're smart as L says, then you'll figure it out."

"I see. Very well, then." A small frown appeared on Near's lips at the other's words.

"I'll see you tonight." And with that, there was a click in Near's ears. The screen turned back to the normal background.

Near stared at it, almost as if he was expecting for it to change back. Shifting his attention away from the computer, he removed the headset and stood up. "He's exercising his power, isn't he?" Near muttered, turning away from the computer. Grabbing his phone, he went to the living room to read a few books to wait for the night that would come.

For three weeks, Near didn't answer any text messages, phone calls, or when the doorbell rang. He had messaged each of his agents once a week for dinner, but that was about it. Even then, they were ignored until they left. He waited then grabbed the meal. Today was one night that he was exhausted, in front of an artificial light making screen, staring at the letter 'M' on his computer.

"We're done for tonight with this stupid serial killer."

"We are." Near muttered, a bit of sleepiness throughout his voice as he came to understand that the only way possible to work together was to follow the other's lead – it was a bit annoying and to be honest, a bit frustrating, but that was all.

"L wasn't wrong about you." M stated.

"That goes back at you." Near reached out to the bowl of soup that was forgotten in front of him, starting to eat. "You sound as if you're surprised."

"I am. Maybe, or am I?"

A small smile graced the lips that produced a monotone voice, thinking about the situation at hand. "Yes, I believe so."

"I don't know, perhaps you're lying." There was a tone in M's voice that Near couldn't ignore.

"Have I been lying to you all this time? Or at any point in one time during this investigation team-up?"

"No, but humans are humans, aren't they?"

Near felt his lips slightly twitch again as he drank more of the soup. "Yes, I believe you're correct on that. You're very smart, M."

"Your point?"

There was that cockiness that Near felt a bit iffy about – not knowing that if this was the other's true nature or if it was a part that he was imagining did not fit. "Nothing, ignore it."

"Are you hitting on me?" M asked directly after Near had talked.

That question made the white-haired boy freeze in his spot. The spoon clutched in his right hand. "I…" His voice trailed off as his brain nearly shut down at the thought, a pink tint coming to his cheeks. A lot of questions rushed through his head at the other's question, not knowing how to answer. Throughout the days of the three weeks, Near had taken a fascination over the other detective, but kept it a secret. He hadn't known his true feelings nor had he discussed them. Thinking back on Linda, he gave a small frown as he put the spoon down. "I don't believe so."

"Really? That's a shame, then. I was about to flirt back."

Gray eyes slightly widened at the forwardness and confessions, his bones freezing in their place. He stared at the screen, feeling his heart race with his thoughts. "I… see." He spoke, not knowing how to answer correctly to the situation that was in front of him. "M, I…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…" Near wondered what the right choice for the scenario was: 'taken,' 'flattered,' or 'in awe?' Pushing aside his pride and the consequences for once because of Linda, he spoke what was on his heart. "I was."

"You were trying to flirt with me?" M asked with a hint of a smile through the robotic monotone voice. "N…"

"Yes, it is foolish, isn't it?" Near countered immediately, knowing the full extent of the situation. "You may as well be taken or why would you like someone else over the connection of the Internet? That doesn't seem logical nor does it make sense."

"That's cute, but that's not it."

"I apologize. Forget that this conversation ever happened."

"What if I don't feel like it?" M's voice came down in volume.

"…" The white-haired boy remained quiet, his heart starting to race in his chest. Taboo thoughts were crossing throughout his mind, his logical brain trying to get a grip with itself while fighting against the euphoria feeling that the other detective gave him.

"You're very smart, N. You're smarter than me and I dislike you for that. Trust me, but there's a part of me that is attracted to that side of you. I envy you, but I want you to be mine at the same time. Stupid, isn't it?"

"No, it's not." He answered, wondering what to make of the situation. "It's amazing what hope does to you."

"We won't meet yet, but how about it, N? Would you like to try dating?"

"I don't have your phone number yet nor will I request it. I'll be open to the idea, but first I have to deal with someone first."

"A stalker?"

Near's eyes shifted over to the phone, knowing that there were a lot of missed calls, text messages, and unheard voicemails. "It's something like that."

"Those are always fun to deal with." M joked with his dark humor.

"This isn't right, but would you give me three days to figure everything out?"

"You asked so nicely, N. Fine, I'll give you three days, but nothing else."

Near felt a small smile coming onto his lips at the other's statements. Standing up, he adjusted his wireless headset and grabbed the bowl of soup. Walking to the living room, he walked over to the balcony, staring at the night sky and the neon lights that illuminated the city. The soft yet cold ocean breeze from the Pacific Ocean was enough for his senses. "Where are you?" A mutter came from his voice.

"At home right now." The voice in his ears reached.

"I see." He answered, sipping a bit more of the liquid contents. Staring up at the moon, he felt a shiver go through his spine at the temperature change. "Do you like this city?"

"I do." M spoke. "The breeze is nice at night, but the coldness feels like home."

Near slowly shifted a bit, being attentive to the other's words. He couldn't help but think about England and Mello, but pushed the thoughts aside to give M his attention. "You're mostly busy during the day, aren't you?"

"I am… you always seem to be at the computer when I need you. Why?"

Walking back inside and staring at the marble counter, Near placed the bowl there. He looked over at the night sky and at the buildings that were all around. "Work is more important to me at times and to be honest, I dislike going outside and socializing."

"Really… are you a hermit or something?"

"I may be." Near wasn't going to lie. He shifted his body away from it, turning off the lights as he went. Entering the office room, he grabbed his phone, staring at the blinking green light. "You seem as if you're the social butterfly."

"I am," M paused. "I hang out with friends and family. I dislike being inside when I can't help it and I only turn on the computer once in a while to do anything but business. My roommate usually uses it, which has gotten him a bit annoyed that I've been using it more frequently for long hours at night during the past three weeks. He's used to a normal routine."

Near felt his heart race a bit as he turned off the last night, slipping into bed. Staring at the white ceiling, a feeling of calmness overcame him as the background noise consisted of the city's noise, but the noise in his ears was M's robotic and monotone voice. He wished for the real one to be heard, but couldn't make it out. Reaching over, he grabbed a robot that he slept with the other night. "We've only been doing business, have we not?"

"Yeah, we have, but right now we're flirting. It only takes one time."

"You're correct." Near felt his lips slightly twitch at the other's words. Holding back a smile, he turned on his side and looked over at his clock: 2:12AM.

"It seems to be worth it so far."

Feeling his heart skip a beat, he continued to look at the red numbers. "M… You give me a type of joy each time we speak at eleven o'clock."

"You seem to be opening up a lot to me. Are you sure you want to give me all of that power?"

Near stopped from closing his eyes, continuing to look at the numbers. Shifting a bit, he stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the question. Right now, Linda had his heart, but it was slowly becoming a distant, yet painful memory. He was going to break it off for this stranger – this detective that he barely knew anything about, but gave him a nice feeling each time they talked. A small frown came onto his features at the thoughts, but he wondered truly about it, letting the sleepiness overpower his senses. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't?"

"I'm doing the same, but it seems a bit off about you."

"Are you going to analyze me?" The white-haired detective asked, starting to force parts of him that were sleeping awake now.

"I do that without even trying, N. Did someone hurt you recently?"

"I don't want to speak about that, but yes." Shifting a bit more, he held the robot closer. Pain and aching started to engulf his heart as he thought about the six years that were starting to seem distant. The sensation became too much as he continued to look at the ceiling, his body barely reacting to the psychological pain. He knew that he had been seeking out a different person to be with to relieve the pain and to make himself feel better, but he wondered if this was the right word. Another reason was because he was tired of being alone, but that was a secret.

"Let me ask you one thing out of respect. Do you want to be in a relationship with me to dull the pain?"

"Yes and no." Near didn't lie, bringing the robot at arms-length. He shifted the hands of it, starting to play with it, pushing away his feelings. "Something has been holding me back, but I don't wish for that anymore. I want to be happy and you are the person that makes me enjoy that. I apologize if it seems as if it seems as if it's the wrong way."

"No, not really. To be honest, I'm trying to find someone that catches my interest. The person before you was interesting, but he was too busy."

"What do you mean by that?" Near asked, wondering about the other's life as he shifted the robot's arms up and down, his imagination running wild.

"I thought he was interested, but in the end, it seemed as if he wasn't. Or maybe he's going through things that he doesn't want to talk about with anyone right now. He's being an idiot by isolating himself."

"I see." Near couldn't help but wonder who the person was to detective M, but didn't push any further. "That is an idiotic move." Shifting his eyes, gray irises looked to the window. He stared at the sky and at the buildings that had light coming out from them.

"It is. What gives you the confidence to get in a relationship with someone that you don't even know their name and is only a letter to a few?"

"That question can be redirected back at you, but I'll answer." The white-haired male paused, thinking about his words carefully. "I'm lonely." He disliked the meaning of the word, knowing that it could be mistaken for weakness. He hated to admit it to himself – to go to that weak part of his mind. It was the hardwired part of his brain that made him human like everyone else, the craving for human affection and acceptance that he never got. A frown came onto his face as he moved the arms upward, regretting saying the words out loud.

"There's a saying that goes that you reveal more to a stranger than to the ones you know." M started, "Enough with the sad part of this conversation. Why don't we talk about something we both have an interest in, like psychology?"

Near silently accepted the other's offer of change of topic. A small smile arrived at his features as he thought about it. "I thought we were finished with work."

"You don't talk about psychology normally with the people around you?"

"No."

"That's a shame, isn't it?"

"It is, but I do with my co-workers from time to time when a case needs it and they're lost." Near thought about the time when Rester, Lidner, and Gevanni had no idea what the criminal was thinking and how he had to explain it to them. His lips twitched sleepily to reveal a small smile.

"I tried talking to my best friend about it. I couldn't get him to talk about it or even give me a glance even though he was listening. L, though, I know how to talk psychology with him, but at times, it seems as if I'm bothering him. When he does speak, he sounds too intelligent or goes routes that I never thought were possible. It's admirable, but at times, it's tiresome."

"Everyone's mind is different, M."

"They are, but he's the best of the best. He's told me stories about himself and how he thinks."

Near stopped moving his toy's arms at the sentence. Bringing it down to his chest, he thought about the other's statement. "Personal stories?" His interest arose, wondering what L had discussed with M about, but he would never ask directly. He had too much pride and respect for L.

"Yes."

"How intriguing."

"It is. I should let you sleep."

That perked the curiosity a bit more, but he kept holding the toy closely. If it was another situation, then he would control his facial expression more, but if he had to guess, his gray eyes were shining with interest. Instead of pushing the matters further and trying to pry into the other's life, Near decided that tonight was enough. "Alright, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

There was a _click_ in his ear, but he ignored it. Knowing that the computer would go to 'Sleep' mode, a small sigh was given as he took off the headset and put it on the nightstand. Closing his eyes to finally rest, he let every worry go as sleep engulfed him.

It seemed as if time passed too quickly when there was a ringing throughout the entire suite. Opening his sleepy gray eyes, he heard the bell ring again as a small noise escaped his hoarse throat. Looking over at the clock, he frowned slightly, only sleeping a minimal amount of time: 8:13AM.

"Nia!" Linda's voice called through the door, the knocking and ringing of the doorbell catching his attention.

Every memory from last night came to him as he remembered the conversation with M. He felt his heart go through a lot of emotions: betrayal, heartbreak, and happiness. Pushing his body up, he walked over with sock-covered feet. Opening the door and bracing himself for the emotions, he looked into Linda's brown eyes. "Yes?"

"You're okay." She smiled a bit.

"…" He remained quiet, his eyes becoming void of emotion even though his mind was racing. The anger was still fresh and the heartbreak was still lingering. "Yes, I am." Near answered, not knowing what else to say. Shifting his eyes, he looked down at her hands, noticing that she had a bag. "May I help you?"

"I brought you breakfast."

"I'm not hungry."

"Near…" Linda used his name, trying to get through to him. Her brown eyes turned sad as she tried to read his expression. "I said I was sorry. I didn't know that Misa or Light would send those messages. What else do you want from me?"

Thinking about his words carefully, he opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't bring himself to break his own heart yet. "…"

"Near… maybe you're right." She sounded a bit defeated, staring at the other's expression. "I think we should break up. I think we should end this right now and right here."

His heart slowly started to grip tightly, the fresh pain breaking through his cold expression. Gray eyes continued to look straight into brown eyes, silently begging to end the agony that hadn't even started. It didn't matter which way it would end, he didn't want to feel it.

"We're through, Near." Linda started, a sad smile on her face. "I'm still your friend. I'll be here if you need anything."

"I appreciate it and I'll think on the friendship." Near automatically said, his monotone voice almost sounding robotic. His eyes trailed over her features, noticing that she was physically fine and she didn't even flinch. Near knew that she had thought about this through and he didn't blame her, thinking about last night when he thought about the same thing.

"Are you sure you don't want breakfast?" Linda smiled a bit, holding up the bag.

"I'm sure." He closed the door in her face, reaching his hand up to lock the door. Near walked away from it, the pain starting to grow more and more with each passing second. Looking over at the time on the wall, he read that it was only 8:25AM. If anything, detective M would be available at 11:00PM, but it seemed as if it was a long time now.

Reaching the marble counter, he gripped it onto it tightly with both hands. Linda's words kept replaying in his mind as his heart slowly gave him strong pain. Gripping it tighter, he shifted his body to the top of the stool, wondering if he should lean on someone. Staring at the stone in front of him, he shifted his eyes over to the door, looking underneath it – there was no shadow. Shifting his eyes back, Near pushed through the pain and remained quiet and silent, thinking about the first heartbreak he ever had.

"I wonder why humans would risk this large amount of pain for someone." Shaking his head a bit, he tried to control his emotions, but felt that the blow was too personal. Sadness and anger were the most dominant emotions in his mind. He wanted to do nothing, but to throw things around while crying until his heart's content, but he knew better than that. The logical side of his brain would prevent it and he wouldn't stoop that low for the heartbreak.

"I never thought it would hurt this much." Near muttered to himself, a small frown showing the emotions that he held within. Instead of thinking about it more, he stood up and walked away from the stool. He was thinking about what to eat for breakfast after his shower when the doorbell rang again. Shifting his eyes over, he stared at the shadow that was beneath it. He couldn't help but wonder if it was Linda coming back, wanting to fix all of it, but he pushed the thought away. He knew that she was more independent than she let on.

Walking over and opening the door, he was a bit taken aback by the sight before him – Mello. "Yes?" He answered in his monotone voice, trying to hide the shock and disbelief of the other being at his door.

"She told me." Mello panted slightly, his blond hair in a slight mess. "Were you about to do anything stupid?"

Near felt a bit insulted by it, but moved his body aside for the blond man could come in. Closing the door and locking it, he turned his attention to the other. "Didn't you have my key?"

"My question first." The hairstylist demanded.

"No, I wasn't about to do anything stupid. I was about to shower and order breakfast. Now, my question."

"I do have the key, but I've been trying to respect your privacy."

"I see." Reaching up, he started to twirl a piece of snowy white hair. Analyzing the blond man that was in front of him, he had to ask, "Did you run up here?"

"No." Mello gave a small frown. "I was jogging around the neighborhood when Linda sent me a message."

Near thought about the answer, wondering why he felt as if Mello was lying. Perhaps it was the attire that the other had that made him doubt, but he held back the comment. The clothes weren't right for the occasion. What was he hiding?

"We should hang out tonight after my shift at work."

"No." The white-haired detective answered, not having time to think about it. He couldn't help but feel as if he wanted to hear M's voice tonight. Alcohol and dancing could be saved for another night.

"What?" Mello's frown didn't leave as he stared at the other with a look of partial disbelief. "You already have plans?"

"I do, yes." Gray eyes shifted over to cerulean. "I have a meeting with someone that I don't want to miss."

"…" The blond shifted his eyes a bit, trying to read through the dull gray ones that were looking straight through him. "You're coming."

"No." Near countered.

"You are. Matt and I are going out tonight and you're coming with us. I'm not going to let you stay in this apartment any longer, sulk around, and–"

"I appreciate your concern, but I would like to speak with someone of importance tonight."

That sentence made Mello frown a bit more. He continued to stare into Near's challenging eyes. "Matt and I will physically drag you out of here tonight if you don't come with us."

"You're willing to commit kidnapping for a friend… interesting…" A mutter came, the twirling of the hair meanwhile increased.

"Be ready by eight o'clock. You're going."

"…" Near shifted his attention over to the hairdresser's face, noticing that he was completely serious. "Mello, have you been worried about me for a while?"

"Yeah, I have. You don't answer your messages or calls. You seemed as if you disappeared off the grid."

"What if I want to be alone tonight because of the break up?"

"You can either go out or I'll bring the party here. It's your choice."

"Mello." Near frowned this time, a bit of annoyance throughout his features as he thought about the night and detective M. "I would like for you to leave me be tonight. I'll go out tomorrow night with you and your friend, but not tonight."

Cerulean kept looking into cool gray eyes. "This meeting means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does."

"Alright, fine. I'll come over tonight alone with a few drinks." With that, powerful sounding boots made their way toward the door, a small smirk appearing on Mello's features. "I'll be gone before you know it. And no, Matt won't come." The door shut behind the blond individual.

"Me…" His voice died and a frown covered his features as he looked at the door. Thinking about the meeting tonight having to be put aside, he thought about the other detective. Mafia leaders were usually busy, but you never disobeyed them or else.

"I have twelve hours remaining to do the work I need to do." He muttered, walking to his room to let the day begin.

Throughout the hours that he had left, Near tried his best to work on the case that L assigned to him. He worked on it for six hours, getting ahead, and six hours to the next one. He didn't eat even though his stomach was craving food and even begging for it every once in a while with noises, but he didn't want to disappoint the other two. The clock was about to hit 8:00PM when he looked up the next time. His phone was buzzing once in a while with messages from Lidner, Gevanni, Rester, and Linda. He ignored all of them, knowing that the healing process took time and because he was too engrossed in the cases that were in files in front of him.

Finishing his conclusion thoughts, Near hid the folders that had sensitive information. The bell rung a few minutes later, grabbing his attention away. The young detective couldn't help but feel calmer that Matt wasn't joining them – the wound still fresh from Linda's damage.

"…" Instead of saying that he was going to get the door, he got his body and walked over to it. Turning the locks, he pulled the door toward his body, staring at the man that stood tall with bags in his hand. A name escaped his lips automatically. "Mello."

"Hey." Cerulean eyes shifted over the other's petite body. "You really have nothing else to wear other than your pajamas?"

"That goes the same for your black outfit." Near moved aside to let the blond inside, closing the door. He didn't need to ask the question he did earlier, noticing that Mello's hands were busy with two bags. Instead of offering help, he locked the door.

"Touché, but I'm not the one that doesn't stay here all day."

Near didn't answer to the comment, instead pointing to the bags while bringing up a pale hand to twirl around a lock of hair. "What do you have inside?"

"Alcohol." Mello moved his body over to the kitchen.

There was an emotion that hit him as he watched the other's movements. Re-visiting the night that happened weeks ago in his memories, Near followed the other quietly. A part of him wanted Mello to stop preparing the drinks, but another part of him wanted him to go through with it. His heart started to race as his logical mind tried to fight the urges that the other brought. A frown appeared on his lips as he looked at the hairstylist, wondering if he knew what he was making. "Mello…" Near started, but was silenced when a glass was put in front of him.

"Piña colada. Enjoy."

"Did you learn it from Maria?" Near stared at the drink in front of him, at the yellow liquid.

"I might have." Mello moved to the other side after preparing his own drink. "If you want another one, I'll make it for you."

Near's gray eyes stared at the alcoholic drink in front of him. He felt a bit hesitant, knowing that there was no going back after the first drink. Instead, he asked a question to buy him some time and to answer his curiosity. "Is Matt alright with this?"

The hairstylist stopped his movements from taking a sip from the Spanish drink and looked over to the other. He tried to read the emotionless dull gray eyes, but couldn't see past them. "Yeah, he is fine with it. We've been hanging out for the past three weeks now."

"I see." The white-haired boy looked down at his drink, thinking about the consequences that would occur if the two got drunk. At the last minute, he turned his attention toward Mello, "I give you consent."

Again, the blond stopped his movements. Crystal blue eyes looked over at the sentence, trying to analyze the situation before them. "You mean…?"

"Yes, Mello." Near said firmly.

"So do I."

"…" The situation they were going to be in was obvious; the topic wasn't visited first. Part of him wanted to dull the pain and to be with the guy that would only be with him with alcohol. Instead of showing any sign of distress, like biting his bottom lip or gently gripping the marble, he made the bold move of reaching over to drink the alcoholic drink. His senses were hit with pineapple juice and another type of flavor – coconut. The seal was sealed when the liquid passed through his lips.

Time passed as drink after drink was taken. Near's sense of judgment slowly slipped away with each drink – Mello coming straight behind him. They mostly talked about Mello's life since Near had barely gone out, but there was restraint on both participants. Their eyes wandered to each other's lips after a while, both craving a kiss as the last verbal contract they had committed to was finally coming into play.

"Mello…" Near slurred, staring at the blond male in front of him. "I don't…"

"Near…" Mello gave a small smile, a chuckle escaping his lips. "You're drunk."

"I'm very much aware." The slur of his voice increased with each passing second. Gray eyes slowly looked over at a pair of delicious lips that were in front of him.

"Are you afraid of going outside?" Mello muttered, his own crystal blue eyes trailing down to the lips that were across from him. A dangerous lustful look was coating them.

"If I am… what's it to you?" Reaching over without giving it a second thought of judgment, the younger male grabbed the other's shirt, leaning in. Shifting his head, he looked up at the pair of lips. "Mello… I want to kiss you." He made the first move.

"Mmm… me too." A whisper came back as a response.

"Would you like to go to my room to do so?" Near straight-forwardly asked, his cheeks having a pink tint. Moving his body forward, he closed his eyes, but felt the room spinning. Letting his lips land on a soft and warm cheek, he opened his eyes again. "Mello…"

"Do you like saying my name that much?" He muttered, turning to kiss the other's cheek in return.

"Come on…" Near let his voice trail, the monotone almost falling from it as he got up from the spot they were in. Walking down the hallway of the apartment suite, he reached his own bedroom. Turning around, he wrapped them gently around the other male's torso.

"You're not going to start crying, are you?" A soft hand reached back, stroking the white pajama shirt.

"No…" Shifting his body, he pulled the blond hairdresser over to the bed. Sitting down, his gray eyes looked up with a hint of curiosity. Part of his mind wondered if Mello knew that without the alcohol, that this wouldn't be possible.

"You know what animal you remind me of? A bunny that wants a–" Before he had time to finish the sentence, he was pulled down onto the bed. Crystal blue eyes widened completely at the physical contact.

Lips were pressed against lips – the sensation overwhelming each of their senses. Slowly, Near opened his mouth and felt Mello take advantage of the situation by pushing his tongue inside. A small gasp was released as the sweetness of the other. A hint of chocolate lingered between their lips as well as pineapple to add to it, creating a weird flavor. Slowly wrapping his arms around the other, Near continued to gently kiss. Opening his legs for the other to be in between them, pale lips created a smile on their own at the action.

Hands moved up his torso, above the white shirt, slowly gripping at parts that were unknown. Moving downwards, the hands snaked inside, causing the male below to squirm and arch a bit. "Near…" The hairstylist breathed through the kisses, their tongues moving in sync with the other. Both of their muscles were dancing in a gentle dance that neither took advantage by trying to take the role of dominance. "Near…" Mello breathed again, the intoxicating mixture of alcohol, a taste that was Near, and the heat becoming too much.

"Hah." The small detective panted, slowly reaching up to grip the blond locks of hair. A moan escaped through the delicate lips while the slow, yet passionate kisses continued. Soon, those pale hands got bold and trailed down the other's back. Grabbing at the very bottom of the black shirt, he tugged it upward a bit, eagerness clouding his vision.

Pulling away, foggy crystal blue eyes stared into gray. "Near… I never pictured you were the eager one." The slurred words came out, barely being coherent.

Instead of answering to the statement, the younger male pulled the shirt over the other's head. Gray eyes quickly locked themselves onto the scar that was on the hairstylist's left shoulder that travelled upward, make-up being the only disguise. Fingers gently trailed over the sensitive skin, a small smile coming onto his lips. "How could I not resist this attractive body?"

"Flirty, I like it." Reaching down, Mello placed kisses on the pale neck in front of him. They were sloppy and wet, each making their own sound that filled the air. Fingers came up to start unbuttoning the small circles that held the precious body he wanted captive. Slipping it open, he trailed down kisses down the pale chest, leaving a wet but invisible trail.

"Mello…" A moan resulted in the kisses, hazy eyes slowly closing at the sensations. All parts of self-control were gone as the lips travelled lower and lower. Expressing another moan, digits slowly dug into the golden locks that were in front of him. "Mello." Near gasped the name, pleasure beginning to overtake the little logical side of his brain that he had.

"Near." Came a gentle yet playful growl.

"Why are you being slow?" It slipped out – the alcohol didn't let him think twice about it.

The hairstylist didn't react to the question in a negative way, but a small smirk was on his features. Reaching upward, he whispered huskily and heatedly into the white-haired boy's ear, "I heard you're a virgin."

Blushing slightly at the statement, the petite boy said nothing. He shifted his body up when two arms were pulling at his pants. His toes wiggled freely at the loss of contact of white socks. Reaching upward with both hands, Near sat up and gave the other a passionate, but very sloppy kiss. Turning his head to the right, both their mouths opened. A second later, both of their tongues were dancing a passionate dance as hands travelled all around. Near gave a small moan while Mello did the same with a masculine grunt.

"Near… fuck, you're good at seducing." The hairstylist whispered heatedly, the temperature in his body becoming too much.

"It's your body, Mello." The white-haired male whispered, tugging at the other's pants. Slowly moving them down, his eyes quickly followed the curves, but his eyes came back to the scar. Reaching over with his tongue, he licked at the skin lightly, closing his eyes as he listened to the gasp from Mello. Shifting a bit closer, he didn't stop the hands that greeted him with eagerness, the licking continuing. Sucking lightly, he kissed up the scarred neck, giving a small bite.

"Fuck." Mello muttered with a hoarse voice as he pushed Near down on the bed.

The soft mattress hit his back as he panted slightly; his glossy eyes were in a drunken but in an erotic gaze as he stared into crystal blue eyes. As an invitation, he spread his legs slightly. Hands trailed up his own body, tempting the blond in above him that was watching his every move carefully.

"You want this, don't you?" Mello asked the rhetorical question, the heat becoming unbearable by each passing second. "Do you have any lube?"

"I don't need any." Near stated, looking up at the hairstylist.

At that, Mello froze his movements. Blue eyes widened as they took a second to register the words, a look of disbelief running through his features as he stared at Near closely. "What?" He finally voiced.

"I don't need any, Mello." A small smile came onto the lips as he sat up and reached over. Cupping Mello in his hand, his lips parted slightly for a light moan. Hazy eyes dulled half-way as he slowly started to feel the hard organ in his hand. "I want you…" He never felt out of place and out of character, but it seemed as if the alcohol took him to another limit. Staring as the hairdresser was too stunned in front of him, his attention turned to the black laces that contained what he wanted. Unlacing them, his fingers worked quickly to take him out of his pants, gripping tightly at the shaft.

Mello shut his eyes tightly as his hands gripped the sheets tightly, his teeth almost grinding against each other as he muttered a profane word.

"…" The white-haired boy said nothing, but kept a small smile at the reaction. For once, he couldn't hold his emotions back nor keep the emotionless mask in place. The alcohol had slipped every ounce of control and the heat was the one controlling him – with instincts. Leaning down, he closed his eyes as he licked up the shaft a bit sloppy. Lips parted with a small gasp as he felt fingers grip his hair tightly. The tug to his locks wasn't as painful as he felt it was going to be, but soon he was met with crystal blue eyes. Dull silver gray stared into them. "Mello…" He whispered.

"Lay on your back. I'm going to take you. Fuck you rough and hard. There's no need to be soft and gentle tonight, is there?" There was a small smirk that he thought he saw, but Near wasn't sure if it was there or if it was his imagination.

The profanity combined with the detailed information on how he was going to receive it sent a huge shiver throughout his petite body. Lying back, his eyes trailed over the well-toned and tanned body; however, he didn't have enough time to take it in or make a mental image. Soon, his pale legs were spread as his breath hitched in his throat. He took note at how their skin colors clashed and part of him continued to smile. His heart raced in his chest as he felt the tip of Mello's manhood push lightly against his entrance.

"Ready?" Mello asked while the word came out a slur, his icy blue eyes trailing over the pale body below him.

"Yes." Near braced himself by gripping the white sheets around him. He let out a loud and long gasp as he felt Mello's hardness enter him, his silver irises hiding behind the pale lids of his body. Before he could get accustomed to Mello being inside all the way, he felt the hips against him start to move. Gripping the sheets tighter, he let out a small moan. Near thought Mello was going to pull out, but when the hairstylist stopped at the tip and rammed back inside, he let out a cry. "Ah!" The pain and pleasure mixing dangerously.

His body rocked against the tan one that showed no mercy. Wrapping his arms and legs around Mello, he panted by his ear. Moan after moan escaped his lips as his insides were tackled. He kept holding on, his eyes wanting to roll backwards; he felt the blond entering harsher and deeper with each moan. Soon, there was a spot that he knew all too well, but didn't care at the moment to name. A loud gasp that was followed by a moan escaped his lips as he let go of Mello completely, gripping the sheets. "Mello!"

"Fuck, Near…" Mello muttered, continuing to move his body against the other. He kept thrusting in and out of the other quickly, trying his best to hit the spot as he stared at the usually unemotional boy talk with his face. A small smile came onto his features as he gripped the hips tighter. "I want to hear you say how good this is."

"This is good…" The white-haired boy quickly gave in, his legs spreading as they moved through the air. He was at Mello's mercy while a pink blush dusted on his features. Gray eyes were glossy with sexual desire and pleasure. "This is too good… Mello!" Near groaned at the contact, not being able to hold his voice back. It sounded weird even to his own ears, but all he could do was follow his instincts. He moved against the other's hips, a quick gasp escaping as his body shivered – Mello had gotten in deeper.

"Ah, fuck. You're so damn tight." The hairstylist panted, watching as the smile remained on Near's features. As he continued his motions with his hips, he spread the pale legs more, the view in front of him too irresistible. His heart was pounding loudly and quickly on his chest, his hardness throbbing inside the other as the walls kept tightening every now and then. Eyes took in the sight – Near had his eyes half-lidded, he was moaning uncontrollably, his legs were completely spread while in the air, and the name he was moaning. A grunt escaped the hairdresser's lips as he pushed in harder and deeper into the petite boy below him, listening to the bed staring to creak.

"Mello!" Pale digits gripped tightly around the white sheets of fabric, his body barely resisting as he was moved against the mattress and the sheets. Gasp after gasp, moans becoming louder with each second filled the room, his body craving more and more. Reaching upward, he dug his nails into the other, which seemed to have the opposite effect of stopping the man.

It encouraged Mello to go harder into the body below, his hips pushing in hard. When he was deep to the hilt, Mello shifted his hips into the other – grinding in a few circular motions.

A loud moan escaped from the pink lips at it, his body starting to shake with pure pleasure. Panting heavy, Near finally felt his own cock twitching slightly against his stomach. Fluid was leaking out at a pace, telling both of them that his body was close. With every sensation, he stared up at the man that was torturing him with the teasing. "Mello…" He breathed, reaching up to grip the blond locks that were well taken care of. "Mello…" He whispered.

"I want you to scream my name for me." He commanded, pulling almost completely out before he pushed in with a hard and rough thrust.

"Hah, ah!" Near gasped, his fingers reflexively locking themselves around the strands of golden hair more. A moan followed after the gasp, his hips involuntarily twitching.

"Louder." Mello commanded, his panting ragged as he started to pick up his speed again. A groan escaped his lips now and then – his body reacting the white-haired detective's noises. "I want you, Near… I want to hear you." He whispered, continuing his movements. Soon enough, he was back to his hard and quick pace, the bed starting to creek again as both bodies were creating enough friction. Reaching down, two fingers wrapped around Near's tip, a small smile on his lips. "You're not releasing yet."

"Ah!" Near moaned again, his voice quivering at being too many octaves high and to be used this long for this main purpose. Suddenly, his body started to wither below the hairstylist, asking for mercy as moan escaped from his lips. A spark of knowledge snapped through his brain as his back arched off the bed, his walls tightening tightly. Opening his mouth, he started to do what the other had been asking indirectly. "Mello! Mello!" Near nearly screamed out, his body twitching against the other. To control himself, he wrapped his legs around him as his grip tightened on the locks. Moaning closely to Mello's ear, he gave a small and barely audible whimper, "Mello! Mello! Mello… Mello!" He released harshly onto his own body, not holding back.

"Fuck, yes." Mello groaned at the voice, his name being called starting to send him over the edge of the white pleasure that he was experiencing. "Near… Near…" He grunted, his eyes closing as he wrapped his free arm around the thin waist. As walls tightened around him tightly, he cursed under his breath, not wanting the enjoyable ride to stop. Pushing into a deep thrust, though, he released inside the other, a loud moan mimicking Near's own. Releasing the white-haired male, he felt amused at the violent actions from the body below him.

Lying back, he let out a soft moan at the feeling of warmness inside of him. It felt weird at the same time, but the alcohol made him feel happy about it. Shifting a bit, he stared up at crystal blue eyes, then stared as Mello gave a small chuckle. Feeling the other exit his own body, he gave a small shiver. "Hah…" He panted heavy, his heart beating quickly.

"You have a little… on your chin." Mello gave a small smile as he laid down, closing his eyes. He gave a satisfying sigh as he moaned a bit, shifting on the bed.

Near wondered if that's why it felt hot. Closing his eyes, he felt a small smile twitch onto his lips as two arms wrapped themselves around him. "Mmm…" He responded, knowing that if he was at a normal state, then he would push the blond away or some other thing. All his worries were gone – mostly the pain in his heart. Shifting a bit, he gave a small peck to the lips. "That was good…"

"Yeah, you were." Mello gave a small but weak smile. He wrapped his arms closer, bringing the sheets to cover themselves. "Near…" Leaning down, he started to give small kisses to his shoulder and neck. Settling for the neck that was in front of him, he started to lick and lightly suck. He remained doing that for a few minutes, the skin turning red. Shifting his eyes toward it, he gave a small smile, knowing that it would turn into a hickey.

"You took my virginity…" Near muttered to nobody in particular, his monotone voice coming back to its usual position.

"You offered." Mello said, slowly starting to twirl circles on the pale chest in front of him.

"I didn't take yours, did I?" Silver eyes shifted toward icy blue.

"No." The hairstylist answered, knowing that the one had taken his was elsewhere – in a room playing video games, being angry at being ditched. Leaning down, he gave Near's shoulder a small kiss. "You were prepared… what was that about?"

The pink dye that was on two pale cheeks quickly came back again as tired eyes moved to the other. "You really want to know?"

"Tell me." Mello ordered slightly, the slur still evident in both of their voices.

"I don't know if it was wrong… but… throughout the three weeks, I knew that I was going to put myself through stress. I started to think about… sexual things." Near paused, looking elsewhere. "One night, I just did it after a meeting. I don't know why or what brought me to, but it felt nice. After that, I did it frequently. Yesterday was one of the nights I did it and… tonight…"

"You still felt tight, but it was good. I liked that. A lot." Tan digits slowly turned the pale chin. Placing his lips, he slowly licked the bruised lips. Licking lightly and waiting for Near to open his mouth, he slipped his hand down the other, a small smile on his face as he noticed that he still had his shirt on. A shiver ran through the older male's spine. "Mmm…"

Near didn't object when the kiss was given. He welcomed it by opening his mouth. Slowly and gently, he rubbed his own tongue against the other lightly. Fingers raked through the soft silky blond hair, the taste of pineapple and chocolate mixing. He got a bit closer, wanting to taste more of Mello, his leg slowly shifting to wrap itself around two stronger ones. He felt a small smile come onto his lips when he felt a hand welcome the gesture by making his leg wrap around a bit more. "Mello…" Near breathed at the sudden contact. "We'll end up doing it again…"

"Mmm… sorry." The hairstylist pulled away as he gave a small sigh. Staring at the smile that was in front of him, he gave a small one of his own. "You know, you have a gentle and cute smile."

"I do?" Near asked a bit in disbelief. He was also a bit skeptic because when he always smiled back home or at the work place, it was as if he was an insane man that had formulated an evil plan. He knew that his friends were trying to be nice by saying that smiling wasn't for him, but when he went home one day to look in the mirror, he was mortified himself. Did alcohol give him the ability to smile without looking like that? Right now, what did Mello see through those blue eyes that he didn't see that day in the mirror? He wasn't sure, but the small smile slowly spread more across his features. The white-haired boy felt his cheeks gently twitch upward more, the rare smile actually being genuine.

"Beautiful." Mello whispered as he stared at the smile slowly grow. It was small and cute looking. Reaching over with his thumb, he gave it a gentle trace, watching as gray eyes were watching his every move. It dawned on him after a while. "Near, you don't get many compliments, do you?" He didn't remember any previous conversations before this, the alcohol using its full effect on both of them.

"No." Near answered, wondering if Mello had remembered their earlier conversation. He knew that part of his own memory was missing. Looking over at the lights, he turned his attention back at the body in front of him. The white-haired boy was warm, snuggly and he didn't feel like getting up to turn off the lights. It was to get a goodnight sleep, but to be apart from Mello's body – even for a bit, he felt as if it was a taboo that he shouldn't break.

"What is it?" Came a barely audible whisper from his left.

When he looked up, Near looked over at the doors, then at Mello. Before the blond had to do anything, though, he gripped onto him tightly. "Don't." Even though the word was a slur, it had the authority with a hint of a monotone.

"I won't be able to sleep. Just hold on." Mello pulled away, slumping over slightly at the light switch. He paused at when he got nearby the bed, staring at his rosary shine with the help of the moonlight outside the window. Reaching down to get it, he quickly regretted it as a wave of nausea hit throughout his body. He held his stomach back as he exercised every bit of self-control. Panting slightly as his heart raced in his chest, he put the rosary around his neck. A small wave of calmness came over him. Staring at the curtains, he shifted his attention to Near who was watching him from the darkness.

"Are you alright?" There was a small hint of worry behind his words, the tone slightly different.

"I'm fine." With that, he walked over to the curtains. Looking up at the moon, Mello wondered if he should have prayed goodnight, but decided against it. The eyes that were staring at him seemed to have been waiting patiently yet eagerly. Closing it, he turned his attention back to the dark room. A small sigh was uttered as he didn't think the plan through. He stumbled a bit, but slowly felt the bed after a while. Trailing his hands, he felt a bit of skin. Soft, fluffy hair was in his hand.

"Mello…" A voice came through the darkness, annoyance covering it.

It took a lot for the hairstylist not to chuckle. Slowly and carefully climbing into bed, he found his spot back. Getting under the covers, he let out a small sigh of content as he wrapped his arms around the petite body next to him. "Near…" He started. "Have you ever made out in the dark?"

"No…" Now, it seemed as if it was pure exhaustion that was coating his voice with the slur. The monotone was completely gone. Near's thoughts slowly started to trail off on why Mello was trying to make conversation after sexual intercourse, but it didn't seem like an obvious answer. He thought about it for a few more seconds, then his mind muttered a sentence. Was Mello trying his best to keep the conversation going? Did the blond hairstylist not want the night to end here? Did he want something more from the white-haired detective? Question after question kept running through his head, but a smile formed on his lips when he felt lips on his shoulder. "Mello…"

"Hm?" The response came, making Near wonder if the other had his eyes closed.

Near felt like asking the questions that were on his mind, but knew that the night would probably be forgotten tomorrow due to the alcohol. This was only a one-night stand, but part of him thought that this was something more. It was picking at his brain, but he couldn't figure it out. Instead, he asked another question, "Is your favorite dessert chocolate?"

"Yeah, it is. Are you really childish? You don't dress to impress, you stay in your home unless if you have to go outside and interact with people, plus, you have a room especially for toys. The other room is an office, this room is a bedroom, one is a bathroom, and then there's the kitchen and pool you never use."

Silver eyes slightly widened in the darkness, not expecting Mello to profile him. "Yes… It seems so." A chuckle escaped his lips, which sounded foreign to his own ears, knowing that he was serious most of the time.

"I'm not sorry I made you miss your meeting." Mello muttered. "Goodnight." With that, there was soft breathing.

Near shifted a bit, his body tensing. He knew he had forgotten something and it finally hit him with Mello's words. He had missed a meeting with M and he didn't even send him a message. The detective's heart quickly sank at the words. The realization from earlier hit when he felt his body go ridged. Even though it was a huge jump at the conclusion, his mind raced. Did Mello plan this alcohol stunt to get them both laid? No, he didn't seem like the person, but the more he thought about it, the more his mind kept racing in circles. Even if he did, Near knew that he had given full consent. He felt a bit sick, but relaxed slowly when the arms around him tightened. Feeling cool breathing next to his ear, Near gave a small shiver. Shifting his hand up, he knew that the hickey was proof of the night and that he would have to deal with the consequences when he woke up. A small frown was on his lips as he looked at the black ceiling.

Trying to close his eyes to forget about the situation until morning, he couldn't stop listening to Mello's and M's words in his head. They were two people that were very interesting, but he could only have one. A small blush came onto his features as he thought shifted his thoughts back to detective M. He was a smart, mysterious, and dangerous man. Near knew what it meant to like someone like that, but Mello was mysterious with his own mysteries. Deciding that it would be best to analyze it when he was sober, he closed his eyes.

Near tried to ignore the green light in his room that announced him that he had either missed calls, text messages, or voice mails. He could deal with Linda, Halle, Anthony, Stephen, Matt, L, and detective M later.

Right now, all that mattered was the man in his bed that he created an amazing night with: Mello.


	5. M is for Mello

Two closed eyes shut tighter than usual; the whole room covered in complete pitch black darkness other than the rays of light provided by a mobile device. A thumb moved across the bright illuminant screen, the colors changing on it. Blue eyes continued to look as they landed on a certain name. 'L.' The emotion behind the crystals was enough – slight anger and betrayal. They shined with the same intensity of the light, the finger continuing to move across the screen. Eyes scanned and stared at the green and blue bubbles, staring at the conversations from the past. The written messages on the walls were slowly scrolled until the individual of the blue eyes was satisfied.

"Mmm." A moan came from his right side, which triggered an automatic response.

The thumb that was helping browse through the phone quickly clicked on the white house icon at the bottom of the phone. Within a second, everything had gone back to normal to the way it was.

"Mello? What are you doing?" The throaty voice came.

"I was turning off your alarm." The whisper responded.

Near shifted his gaze from the phone to Mello's face, thinking about the answer. Finding no fault or no reason for suspicion, he felt his head starting to throb as last night's events came back to his mind. His heart in his chest felt many emotions, but he couldn't stop watching the blond man in front of him. Slowly sitting up, he quickly regretted it as his head started to pound and a wave of nausea followed in suit. Instead of dwelling on it or going back to sleep, he stated, "You're still here."

"Yeah, but I should get to work." Mello answered, placing the phone between them.

"Last night…" Near started, ignoring the voice in his mind that made him see a flaw in Mello's sentence. "It was only one time, correct?" Shifting his eyes over, Near could barely see Mello's shadowy figure through the room. The response he got was the one he was expecting.

"Yeah, it was." The voice sounded detached.

Turning his gaze down to the mobile device, something nagged at his brain, but Near wasn't sure what it was. Slowly his attention turned back to the guest he had in his home, then elsewhere, the memories from last night started to race through his head again. The consequences and feelings were starting to weigh at his heart, but he quickly pushed them aside. He felt the soreness throughout his body before opening his lips to give out a small sigh.

"What is it?"

Near didn't look over, the nausea and headache starting to make themselves more prominent. "The hangover."

"…"

Finally, he shifted his gray eyes toward the silent blond man next to him. Near wondered through his mind what was going through the other's mind, but nothing seemed to click. Shifting his attention to the phone, he turned his attention back to the hairstylist when he spoke.

"I'll see you later."

Gray eyes shifted over, the dim lighting of the room illuminating Mello's figure. He trailed his eyes a bit, staring at the blond hair and at the rosary around his neck – it shined each time a ray of light hit it. Turning his gaze away, Near wasn't sure what to say and remained quiet. However, a question came onto his mind while the other continued to get dressed in the attire he came with last night. "Do you still have my key?"

"I don't have it with me. I can come to drop it off later."

The tone of voice seemed as if he was upset, but the white-haired boy couldn't figure out way. Shifting his eyes to meet blue eyes that were staring elsewhere, he stopped himself from shaking his head. It was still lightly throbbing. "No, that's alright. Are you upset?"

"Yeah, I am. See you." Grabbing the last piece of clothing, the blond gave a wave before walking out of the room.

Irises kept following until he was out the door. Even then, his ears were quietly listening to the feet that were padding on the floor. Once he heard the front door close, Near turned his attention over to the phone that was next to him. He wondered what time it was, but slowly shifted his body back to lie down. Closing his eyes, he left the thoughts run through his mind while relaxing to the noises from outside that was making his nausea worse.

Hours later the irises blinked open to complete darkness. Shifting his body slightly and feeling around in the white sheets, his body felt completely sticky. Relaxing into the scent from last night that overwhelmed his thoughts with memories, Near shifted his eyes over to the clock on the table. Eyes slightly widened as his muscles tensed. Sitting upright, he felt a small groan wanting to escape his lips, but held back. Turning his attention over to the blinking green light from the phone, he knew that he would be in trouble with L. It was 7:11PM after all.

**L: Good afternoon, I would like to discuss with you a new case involving yourself and M.**

Shifting his gaze, he felt his body go cold as he read the message after that.

**L: We're meeting in a few minutes, I would like for you to join us.**

And the message after that.

**L: The meeting is over.**

Near didn't need to be told that L was completely angry with him. Shifting his phone down, he replayed everything that had happened throughout the recent events. Taking in a small and deep abnormal breath, he lightly pushed his phone to the side. Many thoughts ran through his mind as he stood up and walked in complete darkness to shower. While the hot water poured rivers down his small body, his gray eyes slightly blanked out to the events, thinking about them carefully.

"L is angry and that's reasonable," Near started, thinking about the situation very carefully, "M is most likely also angry with me. What I've done recently… Mello…" Hands trailed over to the small bruise on his neck, remembering that it had been done the night prior. "He's upset; it doesn't take a fool to see how much he was, but why? What did he see on my phone?" Thinking about the events that were making sense on his mind, he could only conclude that it was the messages between Matt and himself.

"That could be it. I lied to his face." A small frown of defense came onto his features. "He didn't have the right to look through my mobile device." Shaking his head a bit, he turned his attention away from the situation. Thinking about the girl that he felt feelings toward at some point, he felt his heart beginning to slowly ache in his chest again. Instead of breaking down and crying, he stood still and thought over the situation carefully.

However, she too, was soon forgotten when a doorbell brought him out of his thoughts when he finished the last button on his shirt. Walking over to the door carefully, he knew that it could have been anybody. His heart quickly raced in his chest as he thought about one person being on the other side of the door – Mello. The probability was highly unlikely and his heart felt the ache when Linda's face appeared in view.

"Near, hi." She gave a warming smile, a bag in her hand. "Do you want to have some dinner with me?"

Gray eyes shifted toward the happy brown ones, logic becoming quickly unbalanced as emotions started to roll around in his mind. Instead of thinking too much on it, he moved his body aside. "I don't see why that would not be appropriate. We are friends after all, correct?" Closing the door behind her, he turned his gaze elsewhere. When Linda turned around, he brought his white collar up to hide the hickey on his neck – the symbol of last night being very prominent on his pale skin. He wondered if she had seen it, but would keep away from the subject; a pang of guilt already crawling onto his heart.

"Yep!" Linda beamed, walking over to the counter to set down the supplies. "Did you sleep all day?"

"I have, yes." Near answered, following her every movement.

"You're so lazy." She teased, the smile still on her lips. Moving her hands, she swiftly and efficiently got the food out of the containers, serving both good portions of dinner.

Near's attention turned when the plate was passed onto him by his ex-girlfriend. Staring at the colorful food that was in front of him, part of him wanted to eat the meal, but another part wanted to throw it across the room. It was abnormal thinking and behavior, but he knew that it was the anger and depression that he felt. Instead of dwelling on it and on his thoughts, he shifted his attention toward her. "How's work, Linda?"

"It's been good," She paused, chewing on the dinner. "There's something strange going on, though."

This quickly caught his attention as his eyes tried to analyze her reactions. "What do you mean?" He knew that Linda's word choice was specific, both of them using the same vocabulary when together.

"Near, where have you been?" Linda's brown eyes worriedly looked over to her friend. "Didn't you hear the news this morning?"

"No, I haven't." He answered, ignoring the nagging feelings that were picking at his mind.

"Models that work under the magazine I work for have all been getting killed by this serial killer." Linda slowly pushed her plate away, her eyes looking down. "So far, nobody has come to investigate. There are rumors from the LAPD, though. The rumors and the news media say that L will be taking over the case soon."

A thought clicked in Near's head. "Is it more than ten victims?"

"Yeah, there have been. It's brutal and horrible." She turned her attention over to gray eyes that were staring right at her. "Near, do you think I should go to work?"

He thought about the question carefully. Part of him screamed the emotional and instinctual answer, but the logical side was taking part on it. "I don't have enough evidence to make a conclusion, Linda. On the other hand, you said that they were models?"

"Yes. Are you going to take on the case?" Linda shifted her attention elsewhere, then back at him.

"Have you heard something that I haven't?" His eyes flickered over her, trying to figure out what she was hiding.

"Lidner and Gevanni came to me the other day. You know Rester doesn't like to get involved that much. Anyways, they said that they were going to get busy soon and to expect silence from all of you, but to not worry because it'll only be business."

"I see." Near turned his attention away from her for a second, thinking about the possibilities of what L's moves were.

"Should I have a reason to be scared?" Worried eyes stared at the detective.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully.

"…" Linda gave a small whine from her throat followed by a small sigh. "Alright, well, I'll leave you with dessert. I'm real tired and I should head home." She gave a small smile. "You should eat, you're too skinny. I'm pretty sure that on the BMI scale, you are severely underweight." Grabbing the plates and washing them in the sink, she left Near's plate on the counter to be eaten later.

"…" He didn't answer, standing up from the white stool. "Thank you for coming over, I appreciate it."

"Well, if I don't, then who will? Besides, you really can't do much without our help, Near." Linda gave a small teasing smile before walking over to the door.

"…" He didn't agree nor disagree, opening the door for her. "Linda…"

"Yeah?" She turned around to face him.

"Goodnight." The word felt empty as he gripped the silver knob behind the door. His eyes remained blank, but part of him felt the need for any type of uncomfortable physical touch from the girl.

"Goodnight, Near." Linda smiled kindly before walking away.

Closing the door, he silently locked it. He felt the emotions coursing through his mind, but knew that right now wasn't the time. Walking over to his room, he grabbed his phone, bracing himself for the consequences that he had to deal with. Hitting the telephone icon on the phone after unlocking it, he grabbed the remote and put the volume on low after turning on the television, putting on the local news channel. It didn't take long before a robotic monotone voice answered.

"N."

"I want to–"

"The news right now is reporting on the case I've taken to accept with M. You are involved, N. I want you to start gathering information on it. You see, I cannot talk right now as I'm dealing urgently with another case. Perhaps you two can talk about it tonight if he isn't too mad at you. Excuse me, now."

_Click!_

He couldn't even answer before silence hit his ear. Near put the phone aside and sat on the couch, knowing that the information from the media was biased and overdramatic at times. Grabbing a small notepad from the table next to the couch, he also grabbed a pen. Turning the volume up, he began listening and jotting down ideas of the current case he was now assigned. The news only took a few minutes to go over the case, the actual facts being hidden. Near took every fact that he could gather.

Shifting his attention over to the phone when the green light appeared, Near's pale hand took a hold of the device. Turning it on and unlocking it, his gray eyes scanned the message that was in front of him. He felt a hint of curiosity peak his interest.

**Matt: Hey, what's going on between you two? What's got Mels so upset?**

"He _did_ see something on this phone that he didn't like…" Near turned his attention elsewhere, staring at the news on a man currently reporting on the weather. He felt a small frown come onto his lips as he knew that couldn't place his finger on any clues. Shaking his head slightly, he grabbed the phone and went into his office room after turning off the lights and the television. Letting the computer turn on, he tapped on a few keys to make searches for any news articles about the recent murders. He found a few, all the facts being the same.

"Females, models, and all have died of a mysterious heart attack." He started to twirl a lock of hair, pouting his lip out slightly. "Let's see… no preference in female other than them being models. Heart attacks when their bodies are in perfect condition and perfectly healthy. Perhaps underweight but that isn't the issue here. Poison would be my guess, but is there one that would cause a heart attack?" A small frown came onto his lips as he read over the article. "Without any autopsy reports, this information is almost useless."

Turning his attention over to the clock, he noticed that it was only 9:22PM. He knew that he needed to at least do research for at least an hour and a half or to find something else to do. Continuing to stare at the facts that he had written down, Near quietly grabbed his notepad and his cellphone. Walking to the play room in the apartment complex, he sat down and took out a box of dice. Slowly starting to stack, it felt natural and it put him at ease. Continuing to lightly stack, his eyes drifted to the phone.

_What did Mello see in the mobile device? If he saw my messages with Matt, then what about them? Is it the fact that I've lied to him? But then again, he never asked in the first place. If I make an assumption that he is upset, then why not confront me? I was right there, next to him, but there's another piece that's missing._

Shifting his hand to grab another die, his hand paused in the movement.

_Did he see 'L?' If so, then he wouldn't comfort me about it, would he? No, that would be a stupid and absurd move. Does this mean that he is–_

Stopping his movements completely, he decided to question the source of his problems. Staring at his phone, he quickly touched the button and swiped the screen to unlock it. Going through his contacts, he stared at Mello's number. Hitting the telephone icon, he pressed the device up to his ear and waited.

_Ring!_

_Ring!_

_Ring!_

Near started to get prepared for the female voice message machine, but when he heard the other line pick up, he wasn't sure how to go about the situation anymore.

"What is it, Near?" He sounded a bit annoyed.

"Mello… are you busy?" It was an odd question to ask, the task at hand seemed to quickly be claimed by the fast beating of his heart.

"I will be soon, but I have time to talk. What is it?"

There was a small nagging at his mind, but Near quickly pushed the thought away. "You're upset." He went in for the direct approach. "Are you upset with me?"

A pause from the other line. "I don't know, yet, Near."

He took the small silence as a sign of hesitation. The white-haired detective shifted his eyes over to the dice that were in front of him, thinking about the answer. "What do you think I've done?"

Another pause. "I don't think we should see each other. Linda's our friend, what we did was a mistake."

This caused a small frown to form on Near's lips. This wasn't adding up. "What are you saying?"

"I don't want anything to do with you."

His quickly beating heart came to a frozen stop. Gray eyes shifted over to space, then looked down. "I see." It was the only two words that he could muster out at the moment.

"…I have to go."

_Ask a question and counter his conclusion._ A nagging voice came to Near's thoughts and mind. He gripped a small dice, the frown turning bigger on his face. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why do you have to go, Mello?" His voice became alive again as gray irises darted over to the dice. "Are you trying to avoid this on purpose? Now, let me see what you are. I told you I was a detective, yes? You're a horrible liar. You come to my home with alcohol and verbally give me consent and now this. This wasn't a mistake, Mello. I don't see what your malicious purpose would be if you had one. What did you see on my cellphone that got you upset?"

"…" There was a long pause of silence.

"Even though I haven't known you for a long time, I know that you are good with details. You took my key without letting me notice. I've been thinking about the incident. There is–"

"I'll call you back later, Near. I'm busy."

After those eight words were registered, he completely stopped talking. "…I see."

_Click!_

He placed the device down, letting the conclusion he came to run through his mind. Quietly, he continued to silently stack dice until it was time to talk to detective M. It seemed to Near as if it was minutes later when he was staring at the white screen that held an 'M' in the middle of it.

"N." He greeted first.

"M." The detective repeated. "Before we begin, I must apologize for the two incidents I have caused."

"Oh?" A robotic monotone voice came.

"Yes. The first incident was yesterday at eleven o'clock. I missed our meeting and it shouldn't have been that way. The second was the one earlier this day with L. I apologize."

"It's fine. Would you like to be briefed on what L and I talked about this afternoon?"

"Actually, I would like to discuss two things with you, if it's alright."

"That's… a surprise. Are you alright?"

"Many people seem to be upset without the full knowledge and facts that don't concern them, it seems. I've learned that throughout the years and I would like to express that I slept with a man yesterday to drown out the feelings I wanted. I'm not sure if I should apologize for such actions because I don't regret it, but the answer to me is obvious. I would like to give you my answer. I would like to start a romantic relationship with you."

"…" There was a very long pause before a question. "Are you sure, N?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be sure about this when I've been thinking about it?"

"I don't want to be a rebound."

"I don't understand the definition of what the slang term means." Near shifted his attention over to his phone, wondering if he should look it up.

"Let me ask you this. Do you like the guy that you slept with? A lot?"

There seemed to be a slight pause from the white-haired detective as he thought about the hairstylist. Weighing the pros and cons, he thought about it carefully. Knowing the relationships strains, he decided to rely on the man on the other side of the computer, "What would you recommend in such a situation?"

"Well…" Now it was the other's detective turn to pause. "I mean…"

Near could almost see the other rubbing the back of his neck through the screen that was in front of him. A small smile graced his lips. Even though the voice was robotic and monotone, it seemed to carried on the emotion. Perhaps it was the choice of vocabulary. At the thought, something nagged at his mind, but he quickly pushed it away when M started to speak.

"Answer me first. Do you really like this guy?"

Near thought about the answer, knowing the recent events was rather too confusing. Even through the heartbreak and darkness, he could see that the only two people he was interested were M and Mello. "I do like him to an extent, but he seems upset with me."

"Then you're willing to date both of us?"

"No, not a threesome." Near corrected. "I wouldn't mind dating one of you. Both of you seem to fit my criteria and expectations."

"N…" The voice started, then trailed off. "Are you sure it's me who you want? Out of both of us?"

"Due to the circumstances that are arising, yes, it would be best."

"How do you know?"

"I just analyzed the situation."

"Let me hear it."

There was a certain tone of voice that Near wondered what he heard, but instead of protesting against it, he decided to tell M about it. "The man I slept with, he seems to be changing back and forth about what he desires. I keep getting mixed signals and we have my ex-girlfriend in common as a friend. I believe it's best to leave the situation as is."

"What's his name?"

A small wave of confusion was throughout his features. He wondered why M was interested in his personal life, but decided to answer the question. "His name is Mello."

There was a huge pause from the other side of the computer.

Near took it into account, but part of him wanted to ask what was shocking about the name. The probability of only one man having the name in the big city of Los Angeles was great, but it was probably greater due to the salon's fame. Why was the salon famous again? Was it because people went there a lot? A nagging part of him kept picking at his brain, but he was quickly taken out of his thoughts when the man on the other side of the computer spoke.

"Alright… I'll mark this day on my calendar to celebrate our anniversaries."

A small smile twitched on Near's pale lips as he wanted to chuckle at the words, but held back. He knew it was a joke, but wanted to play along with it for the other's sake. "I've already marked every day, the same day, on each month to celebrate it." He couldn't ignore his heart starting to beat quickly in his heart as the smile fought to remain on his face. A good and happy feeling was throughout his mind as he thought about the idea of the man on the other side of the computer.

"Really? That doesn't sound like a stalker at all, N."

"It doesn't." Near's eyes averted to the letter on the screen. "It sounds like the very beginning of one: the obsession."

"Of course. Now, about this case."

Shifting in his seat, he brought his left leg closer to his body. "Yes, what is the information you've discussed with L?"

"Twelve models have been murdered the last two months. Six victims each month and since the new month are starting, then there will be six more models. The models have no connections so far that we can figure out. However, this seems to be a serial killer that seems to be doing it for multiple reasons. We don't know which reason it is. It seems that poison is the method. They either drink or eating something and we only found out due to a quick autopsy on the latest victim. The poison disappears in a matter of days and he doesn't seem to have a preference. Women of any ages… brunettes, blonds, and redheads."

Near thought about the new information, knowing that the news had told him everything about the case except the leads part. A small frown came onto his face, but he wasn't sure what to call it. "Is that all?"

"No, it isn't. There was a note specially sent toward L. He knows we're onto him… somehow. I don't know if the media leaked the information, but it seems as if this stupid guy wants to make a game out of this."

"No," Near frowned a bit. "The media hasn't mentioned that L is investigating this case, only gossip. I've checked many news stations and news reports online. There is no sign that the detective is in this case. Neither are our names, but a friend of mine mentioned that the rumors are circulating."

"Really? I'll have someone look into it. Now, the documents that L and I have are already delivered to your home. They should be in your mail box."

Near shifted his gaze a bit, staring at the letter. "I see." He didn't question their abilities or if M knew the location of his home. Knowing that the Mafia had a lot of information on its own and that it could retrieve more when it needed it, he thought about the leader he was talking to. "I'll go get them, do you mind waiting a few minutes?"

"Not at all."

Taking off the headset, he pulled away from the computer. Grabbing the phone and walking outside of his apartment, he went toward the elevator. However, before he could make it inside, his head was thrown forward as his eyes slightly widened. Falling forward, he gave a small frown and turned his head slightly to face the assailant of the pain in the back of his head. Near blinked his eyes slightly as he was greeted with a huge red rubber ball next to him on the ground.

_Ding!_

The elevator door closed to his right as he frowned a bit at being mocked. Slowly sitting up and grabbing the red ball, he shifted to get on his feet. Looking back toward where he thought the ball came from, he saw a small shadowy figure from behind the small fancy tree. Knowing how children were, he decided to wait a few minutes as the pain in the back of his head slightly dulled.

"You're not going to tell, are you?" A soft voice came out, curious eyes peaking carefully from the green leaves of the tree.

"No." Near answered, wondering if this boy was a new neighbor. He had heard people moving around the apartment two doors down from where his suite somewhere throughout the three weeks that he was isolated.

"Hey wait…" The kid started to speak, slowly walking out. He had dark brown hair, a white shirt and jeans. "You're a kid, aren't you? What are you doing living by yourself?"

Pale hands kept holding the ball, staring at the boy in front of him; he decided to take time to answer the questions. He didn't want to seem like a secretive neighbor even though there was a case waiting in his mail box and a detective back at his computer. "I'm not a kid."

"That's weird…" The boy gave a small frown. "What's your name?"

"Shouldn't you give your name before you ask for someone's name? Isn't that the polite thing to do?" Near countered.

"My name is Kagami, Taro. What's yours?"

"My name is Near." He decided to give his alias, knowing that his real name even in the child's hands was dangerous. "Here." He held out the red ball.

"You have white hair." The boy commented, walking over cautiously. "How old are you? You're really short to be an adult…"

"I'm currently twenty-two." Near turned his attention to the smaller boy. "What about you?"

"I'm thirteen." Taro gave a small smile as he took the ball in his hands. "You know, you're not that scary. Everyone in this apartment building says to stay away from you and to give you your space, but you're pretty cool. You're like a kid. How about we play sometime?"

"I don't think that would be socially appropriate." Near started, hitting the button on the elevator. "It was nice meeting you, Taro."

"You say big words, but you too, Near! Hey wait… don't you have a last name?"

When the doors opened, the detective stepped inside before turning his attention to the boy. He was slightly surprised when Taro followed him inside. Pressing the button to the elevator, he hesitated with the answer and to let the boy follow. "I do have a last name, but I don't give it out to anyone."

"Why not? Are you a criminal?" The small boy next to him slightly tensed up at the own question he had asked.

The white-haired detective felt a small smile wanting to tug at his lips. He remembered asking Mello the same question multiple times and then getting the answer in the drunken state. "No, I'm not a criminal." He decided to play it safe and to just answer as short as possible.

"Are you a cop?" Once again, the boy's body quickly tensed up. The grip on the ball was tightened as the small fingertips were nearly white from the force.

The elevator doors opened to reveal both boys. Walking out, he thought about how to answer the question. He knew that children were observant and barely lied. He remembered most of the things he learned, but right now wasn't the time to make friends. Continuing his walk, he stopped at the mail boxes until he found his own. "No, I'm not a cop." He repeated, trying to make the questions end. He turned his attention around, wondering where people were at this time at night and remembered that it was around midnight. Turning his attention toward Taro, he gave a small frown. "Aren't you supposed to be up in your room, sleeping?"

"Aren't you?" Taro tried to ask with an innocent voice, looking up at Near while holding the ball.

Thrusting in the key and pulling at the small door, he shook his head slightly. "I don't have a bedtime like you do." Grabbing the king size envelope along with others, he closed the door and locked it. Turning his attention over to the small boy, he noticed the bright eyes that were looking at him.

"What's in there?"

"Papers." Near answered a bit too quickly.

"Come on." Taro quickly grabbed the pale boy's hand, walking away. He was tugging with all his force, bringing the taller one with him. "I want to show you something."

"You should go back to sleep, your mother will worry about you." Near felt a bit uncomfortable at the physical contact and at being tugged by a small boy, but didn't protest much. When they reached the doors that lead to outside, he halted in his tracks. "You should go back to bed."

"Come on, I just want you to see something." The boy continued tugging, a small smile on his features. "It might help a big kid like you get to bed sooner."

Before Near knew it, his protests were quieted down by the small boy dragging them elsewhere. He felt as if he was committing crimes by following the boy, but knew that the small one wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. Stopping outside of a store, he felt the breeze shake his body slightly as he stared at the small shop in front of him.

"In here." Taro spoke, walking inside.

The white-haired detective was about to protest, but followed the boy in. He looked around at all of the candy, feeling a bit confused by the atmosphere. This candy shop was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week? That seemed too good to be true and it seemed odd. Continuing to follow the boy around, he looked over at the man that was at the counter; however, before he had chance to get a good look at him, he was pulled at slightly. Gray irises followed the hand that was pointing to the candy.

"Near, look! Could you buy this candy for me? Please? My mom's birthday is tomorrow."

There was huge doubt in his mind, but part of him wanted to just buy it for the begging and small child. He gave a small nod, knowing that it was odd and that he would never live this down if he got caught or was in trouble. Looking elsewhere, he started to twirl a piece of hair. "Get a piece for yourself, but that's all I'm buying you."

"You're really nice… thank you." Taro spoke, a smile on his face as he walked around the store.

Near took the chance to also look around. His eyes stopped when he was met with chocolate. Reaching over, he grabbed one, but put it away. A small frown hit his senses as he remembered that M was still waiting, but part of him wanted to know what made Mello smell the way he did. Feeling a hint of curiosity pick at him, he grabbed a random wrapper. Lifting it toward his nose, he gave it a small sniff before placing it back. No, that wasn't it. He did this with three more bars of chocolate until he found the one that he remembered clearly. His memories and senses returned as his mind remembered getting on the black bike with the motorist. The blush slowly increased as he felt Mello's muscles under his fingertips, last night coming back vividly.

"Are you okay?" The small boy asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Do you love chocolate that much?"

"I beg your pardon?" Near shifted his attention over, grabbing four bars in total of the delicious treat.

"You looked like you wanted to eat it." Taro gave a small shrug, a confused look on his features. "I just didn't want you to get in trouble. My mom said that you're supposed to pay for it before you eat it."

Instead of questioning it further, Near turned his attention over to the counter. He placed the four pieces of candy down and noticed that the youngster only placed two pieces down. Instead of protesting, his gray eyes looked up to meet big dark eyes.

"Will that be all?" The man asked. He was hunched over in his spot, a white shirt hugging his figure as faded jeans were on his legs. He had no socks but had dark spikey raven hair while there were matching dark circles under his eyes; it was almost as if he was like a dark raven perched on the stool.

"Yes."

"Yes, sir." Taro answered, a small smile on his face.

"Alrighty. Oh? Chocolate?" The man at the register gave a small smile before starting to place all the delicious treats into a bag.

"I have a weird craving." Near looked elsewhere, staring at the piece of forgotten cake that was left on the counter of the register. He raised a slight eye in confusion as he stared at the trippled layered vanilla piece of cake and at the strawberries that were on the top. Taking the bag when the man handed it over, he asked, "How much?"

"It's on the house." A smile graced the man's lips.

This surprised the white-haired detective, but he didn't protest. His own gray eyes continued to look into dark raven ones, taking in all the features of the man in front of him. "Thank you." He spoke.

"Mhm!" The smile turned a bit bigger as the man went back to eating his cake.

"Goodnight, sir!" Taro called out as he walked out of the small candy shop.

Near followed in suit, taking only three bars of chocolate. He felt the elevator ride was a bit too long as his mind kept giving him red flags about the man at the candy shop.

"What's wrong? You also forgot one chocolate." Taro spoke as he walked out of the elevator.

"Keep it. I hear that in Japan the number four is bad luck." Near felt his lips twitch slightly. "Also, it's welcoming gift as a neighbor. Goodnight, Taro. Don't sneak out again and don't play outside at midnight. Tell your mom what you did." Near waved slightly to the boy as he fiddled with the keys.

"Goodnight, Near." Taro spoke before giving a small wave and walking to the two doors that were down the hall.

Once the boy was quickly away from view, the white-haired detective quickly made his way inside and to his office room. Taking the headset, he placed it back on. "M?" He questioned, staring at the screen that had the letter.

"That took long. What were you doing?"

"I apologize." Near started, knowing that he had been rude to both M and L so far.

It hit him right then.

L.

L.

_L._

"About the case file, there–"

"I need to do something urgently. Please wait." Near took off his headset, knowing that he had missed a lot of signs. Quickly walking toward the elevator, he was glad that nobody in the building was using it. The thirty floor drop took too long for his convenience. Once the elevator doors opened, he walked outside, but his pace was still quick. The cold air of Los Angeles didn't seem as if it was cold at all as he kept walking toward his destination. Stopping outside of the candy store, he felt his breath slightly out of rhythm.

He wasn't surprised when he saw nobody there and the sign that read: _Sorry, we're closed._

It confirmed his suspicions, but whether or not to bring it up was another issue. He panted slightly and looked around for any sign of the man that he saw in the shop a few minutes ago. There was no one in sight, only for the occasional car that was passing by. His toes nudged him, telling him that it was too cold outside. Taking out his phone, he stared at the blinking green light that told him he had a message. Unlocking the device, his gray irises read the text message.

**L: Forget what you saw tonight.**

It confirmed his suspicions, but part of him felt eyes on him. Looking around once more and finding nobody in the shadows, Near decided to walk back. He felt a small frown on his face as he knew that what he had done was foolish and out of character. Part of him reasoned that it was the high of the adrenalin, but another part of him knew better. Near knew inside that he wanted to meet L. He knew and now, he had, but it wasn't the way he wanted. They both knew each other's faces, but Near knew that L knew what he already looked like. A part of him wanted to ask why and what L was doing out in the open, but he knew that asking the man directly would seem insulting.

Making his way back into the apartment for the second time, he placed the device between his ears. "M."

"What the hell, N? What is going on?"

"I apologize." He tried. "The first time I ran into the neighbor's child. He wanted candy and dragged me to a candy store. As for the second time… the man at the counter. The man who sold the candy… I have a suspicion that it may have been L."

"What makes you say that?"

"Do you doubt my detective skills?" Near asked, opening the file as he stared at the chocolate next to it.

"No, I don't. I want to be sure."

"It was him." The small detective started to sort out the police reports and files, staring at the pictures. "Have you met L?"

"I personally know him." M answered.

"I see." This time, Near didn't hold back his wide smile as he stared at the letter on the computer. "This is all starting to make sense now."

"What do you mean?"

He wondered if it was his ears or if he heard nervousness throughout the other's robotic tone. "A Mafia leader idolizing a detective that's on the right side of justice while you're on the other side of the law. At first, I thought it was all weird and it still is. Now, I know that you two personally know each other by the account. When I mention my encounter with L just now, it seemed as if you were going to go on a defense. He doesn't seem to talk ill of you either, but what I don't understand is why L would mock me for getting bars of chocolate." The explanation he gave were half-lies and half-truth. He barely put any effort into analyzing and went as his sentences would carry him, but the last part he was wondering why. He was trying to bait M into revealing anything more.

"He likes chocolate." M was quick to answer the question.

Gray eyes shifted over to the computer when the response time was too fast. He knew that he had hit the nail on the head with the lies, but wondered why. "Detective M, may I ask… do you like chocolate?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" M asked.

"You answered a question with another question, that's fascinating."

"Are you starting to analyze me?" M's voice was slightly raised in pitch.

"What if I am?" Near leaned into the computer more, knowing that there were pieces of puzzle pieces that weren't adding up to the entire jigsaw. A small thin line formed on his lips as he thought about the events that had transpired. The clues were all there, but part of him couldn't get on the right track. Instead of taking the approach he was, he decided to ask a simple question that could tell him a lot, "Do you know my alias?"

There was a small pause of silence as time seemed to have stood frozen. The answer that came next didn't shock him at all. "Yes."

Thinking back on the events, he looked over at his phone, a small frown on his face. What piece was he missing? "Do I know who you are?"

"You know my alias."

Near thought about the answer carefully, knowing that the game was coming to an end. He continued to think about it, staring at the case files at hand. Shifting through the photos, he grabbed a chocolate bar. Unwrapping the wrapper and peeling away most of it, he gave a small snap of the delicious treat.

"So, you went with a kid to the candy store, right? That's cute." M tried to divert the attention away from the awkward conversation that was currently happening. "Who knew that L had a candy store opened up at this hour, right? Then again, he does need his intake of sugary treats."

Near shifted his attention over to the computer, the taste of chocolate lingering in his mouth as he didn't bite into the piece of chocolate. He let it sit on his tongue while it slowly started to melt. Thinking about the earlier situation, the white-haired detective looked over at the clock: _1:10AM._ "Yes, it seems so." He could remember the conversations with the detective about the sweet tooth.

"Are you still trying to figure out who I am or are you looking at the case files?"

"There's no reason not to do both, correct?"

"I need your full focus, N."

"How about you tell me who you are, then?" Turning the page on the case files, the white-haired detective stopped in his tracks. He could hear the static in both of his ears, but something else caught his attention.

"You know why–"

"M, wait." Near shifted his gaze toward the door, knowing that he had heard a noise outside the door.

"N? What is it?" Even though the robotic voice, the emotions carried through. There was a sense of urgency and knowing – the speed of the words portraying what the tone couldn't.

"I believe someone may be in the apartment." He didn't even bother hiding the fact, his ears continuing to listen.

"Call the police." M ordered.

"I won't be able to hide the case files in time. They'll suspect me as the serial killer." Near knew that he didn't have a detective's badge and that it would be useless to carry one. Many people knew who L was and those who didn't were an idiot, but when it came to N and M, there wasn't even 1% of Los Angeles that knew who they were.

"Get out of there." M's volume rose slightly.

Gray irises shifted over to the door, staring at underneath it for any feet. He slightly cursed for turning off the light from outside. Grabbing the files and hiding them, he shifted his eyes around, then looked down at the phone in his pocket. Taking it out, he continued to look at the door.

_Creak!_

He knew the floorboard well, mostly that stupid annoying one; it only made noise when feet were trying to be quiet instead of walking with normal pressure. Adrenalin slowly started to course through him as he felt panic starting to set in. Looking over at his phone, he tried to shift his fingers, but noticed that they were slightly shaking. A small frown came onto his figure, knowing that without any defense, he was useless.

"N, what are you doing? Are you there?"

It was hard to hear him through the quick beating of his heart as he heard the footsteps come closer. He had locked the door and nobody else had a key to his home other than Mello, according to him. He had never seen such a key, but he took his word for it. As the footsteps came closer, he could barely hear the person. Unlocking his phone, he tried to concentrate to message any of his past co-workers.

"N! Answer me somehow!"

Shifting his eyes toward the door, Near shifted his fingers across the home screen of cards, his mind trying to process everything at a time. If he had seen a situation like this coming, then he would have been ready full force, but right now he was running on instincts. Turning his attention back to the phone, he stopped at the name 'Rester.' It was a subconscious choice.

"N!"

The silver knob slowly started to turn, mocking the small white-detective. Usually dull gray irises kept staring at their target as the small message icon was pressed. Sliding his fingers on it, he tried to keep his mentality focused long enough to send the sentence that was their key.

"N!"

Slowly, the door opened a creek. Near's heart froze in his spot as his eyes stared widely at the intruder of his home, but he quickly regained his composure. His fingers and hand on the phone, however, stopped all movements. He couldn't even think about turning off the computer in time to hide M's identity or his own, much less L's.

"Hello." The voice came from the darkness. It was soft, calm, and gentle. "Did you need me for something?" The man came in, a small smile coming onto his features.

A sense of relief filled his senses as his quickly beating heart slowly started to calm down; however, that didn't stop the frown from coming onto his features. "L."

"L?" M questioned.

"Yes, that's the name I go by." L's smile didn't fade as he walked inside and scratched the back of his head. "Oh, I see you're talking to M. Should I come back later?"

He felt as if he had been physically slapped in the face with all the events that had transpired for the last few minutes. He kept staring at the dark eyes, a small fire in his own as he wanted to show more emotions that he intended. Instead of doing that, he held them back and shook his head slightly. "No, L. Go ahead and stay."

"Well, if you insist." His childlike voice spoke through the silence of the room.

"Do you know the magnitude of this situation?" Near took a small note on how M went quiet.

"Yes, I'm aware. However, before you say anything, I only came because you went back to look at the candy store to see if I was there. That reminds me, do you have vanilla cake?"

"No, I don't. I apologize."

"No, that's quite alright. Please, don't mind me." L reached out without any manners and grabbed the chocolate that Near had left out minutes earlier. Biting off a piece, a cute smile came onto his features. "Mmm. Delicious."

There was a piece of him that wanted to snatch the chocolate away and hide the other ones, but he held back from such childish acts and pushed the thoughts away from his mind. That didn't stop L on the other hand.

"You're blushing." He commented in a matter-of-fact tone, continuing to eat at the piece of the chocolate. The male leaned over onto the smaller one, the smell of chocolate lingering between them.

White covered shoulders slowly tensed up at the intrusion of his personal space. Near wondered how much people skills L knew, but it was thrown out the window with how close the man was. Instead of moving back, he held his spot and stared into the dark eyes. "Yes, I am. I would appreciate it if you moved back to your earlier position. You're too close for my liking."

"Oh! Right." L didn't even bother apologizing when he pulled back.

Near felt a sense of relief when the other pulled away, his shoulders relaxing. Continuing to stare at the man he idolized eat chocolate off his hand and fingers like a child, he turned his attention over to M. A part of him wondered if he was the same or if he was different like L, but decided not to question it.

"You know…" L started out of nowhere in particular, licking his thumb and index finger a bit sensually as his eyes trailed around the room to take in the details. "I always pictured your room like this for some reason. I saw your play room, that is rather fun, but I wouldn't have one like that. I would have a desserts room that would be constantly full. Toys are fun and all, but desserts are fun to play with too. There is something we share in common, it seems, though, N. We stack things."

The white-haired detective stared at the raven haired man, thinking about whether or not to pursue the issue. It was hard when L gave no sign of actually showing any emotion, much less any reaction to what he truly wanted. It was almost as if he had everything under control. "I see." He commented.

"Now, on why I'm here…" His tone of voice seemed to change as he licked at the melted chocolate. Dark eyes shifted elsewhere and below, then turned back. "I know you'll figure it out, but I would like to explain before you get upset and angry."

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Near's pale lips turned into a frown.

"You will." That was the only explanation L gave before shifting his hand into his pocket.

"What is he doing?" M questioned through the headset.

"…" Gray eyes didn't respond as they stared at the hand that had disappeared through the faded jean of a pocket.

When the hand arose, there was a huge change in the atmosphere. Near's heart sank into the ground as all the pieces of the puzzle were coming together. He felt a wave of disbelief and displeasure as he stared at the item in L's hand. It was none other than the key that Mello had gotten. Shifting his eyes toward the screen at the 'M,' it seemed to have all made sense now. Earlier, he was reaching to the same conclusion, but didn't want to admit the truth.

M didn't give his phone number because the phone number was already in Near's phone. It was Mello's number. As for the key, it could have only been gotten from one place. L Salon. Mello had made a comment about a mysterious boss when Linda had asked. L and M personally knew each other because Mello worked under L. The Mafia was another piece of the puzzle that he didn't want to blindly put together. L Salon wasn't enough to pay the expenses for two people and for a woman with four children, right? That had to be it. Maria couldn't financially help him and Mello had risen to pay her back in a matter of who-knows-what-time-period because of the Mafia paying good amounts of money. M mentioned a roommate. There was no doubt in Near's mind that it was Matt. It all made sense and parts of him were blind to see it. The way Mello got angry at the contact 'L' and possibly 'Matt' on his phone. Mello had figured it all out before him, yet he was the one that the hairstylist was mad at. Was he even a hairstylist?

"He knows." L spoke, placing the key down onto the counter.

"What?" M questioned, the tone betraying the emotions behind it.

"…Get out." Near finally spoke, his senses back. He shifted his eyes back toward his idol. "Get out of my apartment, L."

"Now, hold on." L tried.

"I said get out." His voice was raised a bit more. "Unless if you have a valid explanation for this stupid scenario, then I rather not hear it."

"Yes, I do have an explanation. However you wish to proceed with such information is your choice."

"Near…" M's voice, now Mello's echoed through his mind as he listened to the robotic monotone on the other line.

"You have approximately a minute to explain everything." Near's eyes were burning with anger as his eyes were trained on the older detective's.

"Very well, then." L started, then looked elsewhere. "There was no real reason to show the identities to both of you. When Mello started talking about a man at the salon, I started to think about how to get them together. It took a while, but then I noticed that it was you. Both of you fed me information about the other and I wanted you both to be together in the end, you see."

Pale cheeks slightly dusted themselves with pink tint.

"I had calculated that both of you would take a bit longer to get to know each other and actually participate in sexual intercourse later on. Of course I didn't take in the information that Mello would have gone looking through your phone without your permission or you running into me at the candy store. I was trying to play cupid, but it seemed to have backfired."

"You both lied." Near concluded, the frown never leaving his features.

"Yes, but it was the most rational decision to do, was it not?" L turned his eyes over. "You haven't been fully honest with us either, have you?"

"Is this what this is about?" Near's frown turned bigger, his emotions finally showing through the sleepy mask he held up.

"Yes and no. You want to talk about honesty, but you've never been fully honest with us either, N."

"…"

"Now, back to the matter at hand. I didn't tell either of you anything that hinted this. Both of you figured it out, but if you want to hold Mello accountable for his own actions, I would suggest doing it after the case." L's voice turned slightly cold, his eyes shifting a bit. "This is a serial killer that is mocking me and I don't even have any suspects. Both of you are the best detectives I have and I don't want to waste it."

"…" Pushing his emotions aside and shifting his attention over to the drawer that held the case files, he shifted his attention over to a waiting L. "Yes."

"Good. Now… another thing." L started. "You know the kid that you brought to the shop?"

"What about him?" Near reached up to finally twirl a lock of hair. He wanted to have his toy robot at least to help him distract from the situation at hand, but it seemed that the best right now was his hair. He also wanted his dice and dominos, wanting to create buildings to knock down.

"Well, before I came to your room, a situation happened. It seemed that he was talking with a man that was tall with dark hair that almost looked exactly like him but wore glasses. I decided to try to listen in more, but it seemed as if the child kept looking everywhere but the man."

"What's your point?" Near questioned, a hint of curiosity peaking his interest.

"It wasn't his father." L bit a piece of the chocolate, letting it settle on his tongue. "I won't go into detail on how I know that. Now, the point is… the man seemed to have been very interested in what the child was saying and the child seemed scared."

"I don't understand what you're trying to conclude from this, L."

"They had a chat and exchanged words. I heard most of the conversation, but there were parts I missed. Now, my conclusion is that the boy is being used to get to you. After the man had talked to the child, he seemed to have been walking outside of your door. He kept pacing around in a circle, his fingers fidgeting as if he was talking to an entity that was invisible. Now, the man may be mentally ill, yes, I am aware, but it seems that you have a type of stalker on your hands."

"The man you described isn't like anybody I know, L." Near started, a bit of annoyance through his voice. "I don't interact with anyone and if I have, then I must have forgotten who he was. The social butterfly is Linda, not me."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware." L started, a small smile on his face. "That's why I decided to go to the front desk and had someone hack into the files."

"…" Near wondered how many people this man knew. "Hack the computer?"

"Yes, he wasn't physically present. Now, since you'll be in our inner circle, I can tell you it was Matt. That isn't the point. The point is… he'll be your neighbor starting at ten in the morning."

"…" Near wondered how much information L knew, but decided to stay quiet.

"His name is Teru Mikami. Now, be careful. Also, I accept your apology. Now, it's getting late. Goodnight." L walked away, a smile on his face. "I do approve of your relationship." With that, he disappeared through the doors.

Taking all the information that the man had just given him, he shook his head slightly and continued to twirl a piece of hair. He noticed when the front door closed, then turned his attention back to the letter.

"I'm going to sleep, goodnight." Before he had time to hear to what Mello had to say, he quickly pressed a button on the computer that cut all communication. He would have smiled at how easy it was to just make it go away, but part of him knew that in the heat of the moment, that it was difficult. Shifting his attention away from everything, he turned off the lights and made his way to the living room. Making sure that the door was locked, he walked over to the bed and laid down on the bed. Grabbing his robot toy close, a small frown graced his features as he closed his eyes. He gave out one muttered word before drifting off to sleep – his emotions running high through his mind.

"Criminals."


	6. Encounters

A spoon dipped itself into cereal, quickly being hidden by the light brown flakes. Resurfacing, the metallic instrument let a few droplets of milk drop down. Then, once again, the spoon disappeared through the cereal. Gray eyes followed its every movement, the spoon continuing the same pattern over and over again. Pale fingertips kept moving the handle of the spoon in and out, almost as if it was rowing a boat. Shifting his eyes over to the clock on the wall, he watched as it was noon. Thankfully, his phone wasn't glowing with the green light to indicate him of messages. For once, he was being left alone. However, that didn't last long when a knocking brought him out of his thoughts.

Shifting his attention away from the uneaten cereal, sock-covered feet made their way over. Instead of looking through the peephole, he already knew who was on the other side. Unlocking the door and pulling it back, he wasn't surprised when he was met with black eyes, matching color of glasses and hair. A suit was placed on the man's frame, not a single wrinkle on any of the fancy clothes that he wore.

"Good afternoon." His lips turned into a smile. "I'm your new neighbor. My name is Teru Mikami." Slowly, the tall man reached out to shake his hand with the smaller one.

"Good afternoon." Near repeated, his gray orbs scanning over the other man's features. The man seemed to have manners and class by the way that he was holding himself, but it was almost as if there was something hidden behind those eyes that Near wasn't sure what he could place his finger on. He held the door, his small figure unmoving for the man. He was waiting for the man's next move, his eyes analyzing the current situation.

"May I come in?" Teru asked, the graceful smile remaining on his lips.

The detective thought about the answer, but knew that there was no way to avoid it. Deciding to risk it, he gave a small nod and stepped aside. Once the man stepped inside, he closed the door, leaving it unlocked. "Take a seat." Near gave the command, walking away from the door. He sat in the middle of the big couch, his eyes staring at the table in front of him. Shifting his eyes, he wanted to show his displeasure with a frown when Mikami sat next to him.

"You have a nice home. You've never told me your name." Mikami spoke, his eyes trailing to the same spot Near's eyes were at after following the invisible trail.

"My name is Near." Almost immediately, Near wondered if he should have told the other a last name, but knew that Taro and Mikami were somehow involved with each other – lying wasn't a good option at the moment.

"That's very unique, _Near._" The name rolled off his tongue, his lips continuing to be a smile. "Don't you live with anyone?" His voice changed to show curiosity, his eyes roaming around. "No wife? Children?"

Slowly, a pale finger started to dance with a lock of snowy white hair. Continuing to twirl it around his finger as his gray eyes shifted to the man next to him, Near remained quiet. He could tell what the other's man game was just by the questions he was asking; it took a lot to resist looking over at the door. "I don't live with anyone." Instead of lying, he told the truth, knowing that he had to keep the lies in his mind and keep track of them all. Even though Near was good with lies and cheating, he didn't want this man to get any more information. "No, I don't have a wife. I don't have any kids either."

"Oh, I see." Mikami gave a small smile. "Well," He turned his whole body to stare directly into gray eyes. "I'm not a father or am I married; I usually give work my whole attention. I do go to the gym every day to exercise, though."

"…" The small detective wasn't sure what to answer with that, knowing that the man in front of him needed a lot of observation. Part of him wanted to ask direct questions, but another part wanted to ask indirectly. L was never a liar and to have a strong hunch about someone wasn't meant to be taken lightly. Gray eyes shifted when a hand was brought closer to his. It was a confusing gesture, but he said nothing as he trailed his eyes elsewhere. Continuing to twirl a piece of hair with his left hand, he wondered what the man next to him wanted.

"What do you do for a job? I'm a criminal prosecutor." Mikami started to speak after a few more moments of silence.

"I work at home." Near stated the obvious, shifting his eyes over to the man. "We're both busy men, Mikami. Why don't I let you go? My work here is waiting for me and I must complete it quickly and efficiently. You do understand, correct?" He half-lied.

"Yes, of course." He was quick to agree, a small smile on his face. "Excuse my interruption, which was rather rude of me. Do you mind if I come back later to talk? I love being friendly with my neighbors."

It sounded like a lie to Near's ears, but he said nothing. He stood up, giving a small nod to the man in front of him. "Yes, of course you may." It was one way to get information from the man without having to go anywhere. It was perfect, but part of him wanted to stay away from him while being completely alone in the apartment. It was obvious who would win due to physical differences, but he kept quiet. Walking toward the door, he stopped and turned to Mikami. "Have a good day." Opening the door, he was glad when the man walked out, but an action made him halt.

Mikami's hand landed on the white-haired detective's shoulder, giving a small pat. A small sensual smile was on the man's lips as he tilted his head to give a nod. "You too, _Near._" The name seemed to have a certain tone to it while the man walked away.

"…" Quickly shutting the door and locking it, a shiver of disgust ran through him. Frowning at the encounter, he thought about the obvious sign of what it meant. There was doubt in his mind from the action, but before he could think any further, there was a small buzzing coming from his pocket. His heart raced slightly as he thought about a certain blond man. Taking the phone out of the pocket, he wasn't shocked when he read the message, but a hint of confusion and curiosity raised his features.

**Matt: Heeey. What's got Mels so upset? :(**

Thinking about last night with the L encounter and finding out that M was actually Mello, he wondered if he could do anything. Shifting his attention away, he sat down onto the white stool and stared at the number and at the soggy cereal. Moving his pale digit throughout the screen, he replied.

**Near: Me.**

Almost instantly, the phone buzzed on the table.

**Matt: What happened? Say, if you don't want to talk about it on the phone, then let's meet somewhere, yeah?**

Thinking about explaining the situation by phone, much less moving his finger across to type the response sounded tedious. Plus, there was a neighbor that he had to be vigilant about and he didn't want to reveal any more information about the case. Deciding that it was a safe bet to meet after thinking through most of the circumstances, he accepted.

**Near: Yes. Where?**

**Matt: A park. I'll send you a photo of the map.**

There was a sense of mystery surrounding the word and phrasing that seemed a bit off, but instead of thinking about it any longer, he watched as the map appeared on his phone. Walking toward the door and slipping on his shoes, he started to think about Mello's black blazer that was still in his closet. If only he had left a sweater, then he would have used it. Grabbing his keys, he walked outside and locked the door, but as soon as he turned around, he was greeted with Taro.

"Hi." He smiled, nervously rubbing his arm up and down. He had the same attire he had on yesterday night. "My mom wanted me to thank you… she's too busy right now to do it in person and sent this instead." Reaching out, he held out a blue and white stripped box.

Knowing that it was rude not to take the contents, Near wondered why the boy seemed to be nervous around him. Reaching out, he grabbed the box. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." Taro corrected, a small blush coming onto his features as he rubbed the back of his head. "I mean… you made my mom really happy."

"I believe that was her son, not me." Near corrected, wondering why the boy seemed bother to talked to him. Yesterday he was nervous, but now he seemed embarrassed. He wondered if Taro's mother even had a birthday. "Excuse me, I have somewhere to be." Walking back inside the home, he left the cookies on the counter, next to the cereal, and walked outside. He noticed that Taro was staring at him with expecting eyes.

"Say, Near…"

"Yes?"

"If someone… never mind, forget it."

A small alarm went off in his mind as he stared at Taro's eyes. He could tell that there was something else he wanted to say, but instead of dwelling on it, he knew that the only man in the building that would threaten a child was Mikami. Thinking about what to say in a situation like this, the detective responded, "Many children voice their concerns, but nobody believes them. I do."

Two dark eyes seemed to brighten up slightly at the statement, staring directly into dull gray. "Really?"

"Yes." Near answered, continuing to stare back. "Take your time with your decision. I know only you know the magnitude of the situation at hand and talking in the hallway isn't the safest way to give information when someone may be watching or listening, right? Find a way and I'll help you." Walking away, Near wondered if he should treat Taro like an adult with a lot of responsibility or not. He shifted his eyes over to the door that read '#3004' and walked toward the elevator. Turning around, he stared at Taro's eyes that were covered with a layer of curiosity and want.

The boy gave a small nod, a small smile appearing onto his features as he ran down the other side of the hall.

Near didn't even notice when the boy went inside his home as the doors to the elevators closed. He was glad that the park wasn't far away and thought about Mikami's touch to his shoulder. It was a sign of affection without being intimately involved. A small sigh escaped his lips as he felt a shiver run through his body. Walking out of the elevator, he continued to walk until he reached his destination. It was a twenty minute walk, which he disliked, but he was useless when it came to transportation of any kind – public or private.

Gray shoes hit grass that made a noise when it was walked on. He continued walking, staring at the redhead that was sitting down on a swing. He wasn't surprised when he stared at the handheld gaming device between his fingers, clicking and tapping at the keys away. A cigarette hung off of his mouth as goggles were concentrated on the game in front of them. Near slowly made his way over, stepping in front of the gamer and waited to be acknowledge.

"Hey, cutie." Matt spoke with a bored tone, his eyes never wondering away from the target that was in front of them.

"Matt, it's me." Near said, staring at the redhead continuing to play his game.

"I know who you are, Near. So, Mels has been fucking you, huh?" He spoke the words effortlessly, the profanity slipping casually out of his mouth.

A tint of pink hit the natural pale cheeks at being caught off guard. Reaching upward, he slowly started to twirl a piece of hair. "Yes, we've had sexual intercourse once. I don't know why that would concern you or our relationship status, but I'm not sure if we're together or not."

Fingers stopped pressing at the buttons, the game being on pause as green eyes finally looked up. "You want to know why it concerns me, Near? Because I want to know who's breaking my best friend's heart, that's why. I thought you were smarter than that or are you only smart academically that you're an idiot at being someone's boyfriend?"

It felt like a personal attack and all he wanted to do was glare at the individual that was in front of him. He wanted to finally show emotion for what happened between Linda, but his logical side said that Matt wasn't at fault at all. Staying quiet for a bit longer, he finally spoke after forming the word, "Yes."

"How cute." The tone of voice wasn't fierce and harsh anymore, but it was back to its confident, cocky, and playful nature.

"Why do you keep commenting with that word?" He asked.

"You don't know how to take a compliment?" Matt asked, the smoke coming out from his lips.

"…" Near wondered what Matt's game was, but part of him remembered Mello's words from long ago. Was this gamer that sexually frustrated? Did he really want coitus this much?

"Anyways… what happened between you and Mels, _Natalia?_" There was a hint of teasing behind the tone.

"Why are you upset with me?" Near asked.

"I'm just upset with both of you. I'm upset with you because of stupid jealousy, alright? I want Mels for myself."

"…" The detective said nothing as he stared at the redhead stylist, staring at the pain through the orange goggles. Instead of saying anything else, he started to speak about what happened. He didn't skip a lot of detail, speaking only what happened and no opinions. "Now, here I am, talking to you about the situation."

"You're also 'N?' Fucking hell," Matt muttered a bit, a small sigh escaping with the smoke from the cigarette that he was holding hostage between his lips. "Well, I guess that explains a lot." Shifting his attention over to the game that was in his hands, he started to click at the buttons. His attention from the situation starting to diminish, but he said, "I want you to fix this, Near. I don't know about your situation with Linda nor do I care about it, to be honest. I want Mels to be happy and I don't care if that means giving up. Are you willing to make-up with him?"

"…" He didn't answer, wondering about the true answer.

"Besides, I hear make-up sex is good." Matt added, a small smirk coming onto his features.

"I don't particularly care for that part." Near answered, raising the hand to shift toward the mark on his neck. Lifting his collar up, he hid it from view.

"Fine, but what do you want Mello to do, Near?" Emerald eyes shifted upwards. "Why are you upset, anyways? Is it because Mello was hiding his identity because he is a detective? Is it because he basically lied to you by not telling him? That can be said about you. You know how L is with this type of stuff."

The smoker was right about the statement, but part of him didn't want to accept it. To try and to apologize meant that he was wrong and Near disliked being wrong. It was his job to be right most of the time. Even though any error could be fixed with a simple apology, an apology to Mello seemed to be different. "I'll make things right." It was a vague answer, but it was better than nothing.

"Good. Now, my break is over." Matt stood up, his attention over to the red vehicle. "You coming?" He started to walk away, the grass making noises below the powerful boots.

He didn't think that it would be now, but instead of thinking about it again, sneakers slowly moved toward the man that was in front of him. Thinking back on the situation at hand, he wondered what the right words were to be, thinking about Mello. He didn't seem like the type to apologize and it seemed difficult for Near to. It was a pride thing and he had gotten upset over an issue that was normal, but both of them were doing their jobs, right? Mello was keeping his identity a secret and Near had… reacted. It was a small thought that didn't escape his thought process.

"Hey cutie, snap out of it." Matt answered. "Or don't you know how to open a door?" Lips slowly turned into a smirk around the cigarette, a gloved hand reaching out. "You could have said so." He opened the door of the vehicle, letting it squeak under his force.

"…" Near was glad that it wasn't a motorcycle while getting into the car. He didn't jump when the door was slapped next to him. When a body got inside from the left, a small hint of curiosity lingered in his thoughts. It wasn't about the current matter at all, even though it was important. "L said you were a hacker."

"Yeah, call me M2." Starting the vehicle, eyes didn't look over. "That seems to fit a lot." Moving an arm back and letting it lay on Near's seat, Matt turned his attention over to look behind the vehicle.

Staring as the road in front of him changed, he thought about what exactly to say to Mello. The ride was silent, except for the occasional puff of smoke that was thrown out the window from the passenger side. When the salon came into view, the car came into a halt. Near didn't wait for Matt to say anything to get out of it and to walk towards the salon. Walking inside, his nose was assaulted with all types of chemicals. His attention turned to the woman and two boys that were on the couch, waiting for a haircut.

"Matt!" Mello's voice echoed through the small salon.

His attention was diverted back to the man who was running the current show that the woman was watching. His heart didn't skip a beat when he noticed that Mello had a black long sleeved buttoned up shirt rolled to the elbows, black pants and matching shoes. His eyes trailed over the turned over to the broad shoulders and body.

"Yeah, Mels?" Matt's voice called from behind, startling the small detective out of his trance.

"Stop hitting on me." A boy whined from the side couch.

"No, you stop hitting on me." The other boy smiled and moved away.

Near shifted his attention over, thinking about what the children were saying. Looking over at the mother that was now glaring slightly at them like a panther that wanted to pounce, he said nothing. He knew the message was a message of them being playfully homosexual. Turning his attention toward Mello, he was glad when he heard the mother speak.

"Be quiet and stop being rude to each other."

_If only they knew how cruel the world was to homosexual males._ Near thought.

"I need you to sign them in. I'm almost done here." Mello didn't turn his attention away, his crystal blue eyes on the hair that was light brown in front of him.

"Sure." His attention turned over to the woman, motioning her to follow.

"Are you sure you're okay?" A high-pitched voice asked, which got the white-haired detective's attention right away.

"I'm fine, Linda." Mello responded, his eyes continuing to stare at the locks of brown hair.

It felt a bit odd to be in the same room with all the same people. Near wondered if L was anywhere in the building, but decided to think against it. It was already odd enough and he wasn't going to push it any longer. He turned his gaze over when Matt came to his side.

"You should apologize." He stated, almost as if it was in a matter-of-fact tone.

"He's busy right now." Near countered.

"He won't be soon." Matt shifted his attention over to the boys that were now playing with a small ball. "They better not break my laptop."

"…"

"Alright, we're finished." The blond hairstylist ran his fingers through her hair, staring at it in the mirror. "I'm sure it'll last throughout the night, but try not to get water in it." Pulling the smooth sheet from the top of her body, he grabbed a brush and started to lightly brush off the excess hair from her neck.

"Thanks, Mello. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I owed you a favor for earlier."

"No, no." She shook her head, a small smile on her features. "How about I pay for half of the amount of money?"

"If you insist." Mello gave a small shrug. "I'll still have to owe you back sooner or later."

"Well…" Her voice trailed off. "You know that perfume I've wanted to get at the mall? The one they always run out of?"

"Yeah, I know the one." Mello pulled completely away, setting the brushes he had on down. "Do you want me to give you the money to buy it or do you want me to buy it myself?"

"Surprise me." Linda smiled, her usual short brown straight hair now being curly and beautiful. "I'll see you later, wish me luck!"

"Have fun with Misa." The hairstylist said half-hearted, his attention turning over to the two men that were standing by the door. His crystal blue eyes quickly locked in with dull gray, the spark in both of their eyes quickly lighting up.

"Thanks." Linda's voice didn't pull him out of his trance.

"Try not to be too mad at me later." Matt spoke from Near's right.

"What–"

Soon, both of his cheeks were grabbed. His eyes were greeted with orange tinted ones that were behind goggles. A pair of lips was on his and soon, his back was pressed against the wall. Gray eyes slightly widened, but were hidden from view as all he noticed was locks of red hair falling between them. As his mouth was opened with a small gasp, he was met with a bitter taste of tobacco smoke, his ears listening to two pairs of gasp while the room was dead silent other for the television in the background. Before he had time to decide to push the gamer back, the kiss had immediately stopped. The taste still lingered as he wanted to wipe at his lip but held back.

"Matt!" An angry voice came from behind the hacker.

"Yeah, Mels?" He responded innocently.

He was shocked by the encounter, but when Linda brushed past him quickly, he had to react. He didn't see Mello grabbing the front of Matt's shirt or the boys whispering about what had happened. He didn't even see the mother that was staring with pure shock and horror. Reaching out and grabbing Linda's arm, he lightly gave a tug once they were out of the salon. "Linda." He started.

"What, Near?" Brown eyes that were covered in sadness were met with his own. "What are you going to say?" It sounded as if her voice was defeated.

"…" He wasn't sure what to say, knowing that choosing carefully was the whole point of the conversation.

"Look, Near…" Her voice was trailing off as her brown eyes looked up. "I don't think we should be friends anymore."

His heart was hit with a thick arrow at her words, his eyes staring at her with their general coldness. "Why?"

"It's not because of that incident…" She shook her head a bit. "I've been thinking about it… Near, do you even care about me? I mean, I just…" She shook her head a bit, rubbing her arm slightly. "I don't think we should be friends, is all."

"…" He remained quiet, thinking about the decision. "Did the romantic relationship strain this friendship that much?"

"It seems like you don't care." Linda turned her attention toward him. "I try my hardest to care, Near. I think my work is too much for you. I also think that you don't show me enough that you care."

"I don't show you enough?" He questioned, a small change of tone in his voice. "I bought you a lot of things during our relationship and you believe that I don't care?"

"…" She remained quiet, shaking her head a bit. "I don't want to be friends, Near. That's final."

"I respect your wishes." He lied, knowing the pain in his heart was making him deny it. "Goodbye, Linda." He said, turning his attention away from her.

"…Goodbye, _Nia._" Her soft voice was in the air as she walked away.

The arrow of pain that was lunged in his heart slowly started to spread, but before he dwelled on it any longer, he made his feet walk forward. Opening the door and noticing that there were no clients in there, he was slightly shocked when a hand pulled at his wrist.

"Come here." Mello ordered, anger throughout his features.

He didn't protest as his wrist as harshly pulled at. Noticing that Matt was nowhere in sight, he didn't question it. Walking to the back of the salon with the blond, he was slightly surprised when he walked into the small closet. His back was pressed against the wall while looking into cerulean blue eyes. Opening his mouth slightly, his lips were assaulted again, but this time the taste was a nice chocolate feeling. It was the same type of chocolate that he had bought last night. Not even hesitating, he moved his arms, but found that they were quickly pinned on the door next to him. Instead of protesting, he gave a small gasp when Mello's strong foreign body was pressed against his.

"Wait…" He panted a bit through the kiss, trying hard to speak.

"No," Came a husky and hot whisper.

Shifting his body slightly, he shivered when he felt Mello on his inner thigh. Knowing what organ it was, he felt his body slowly come to a stop. Moving his head slightly, he felt a small pant escape his lips as kisses were given on his neck. "Mello…" He tried again, but was quiet when the organ was pressed into him more. A sweet euphoric wave went through him.

Kiss after kiss was planted on his neck, teeth lightly biting at the bruise that had been left there before. The grip around both wrists tightened as there was no sign of mercy to stop the movements.

"Mello, wait." It was hard to get a grip on his senses, but he had. "I don't want to do it here."

"Fine." The blond hairstylist pulled away.

"…" It was hard to say the words that were going to come out from his mouth, but he struggled through it. "I apologize." It felt like a huge hit to his pride, but he said nothing else.

Cerulean eyes shifted a bit, almost as if looking for something behind the dull ones.

"You don't have to say anything, which I don't doubt you will; however…" Near continued to look up to the older male. "I'd like for you to be yourself around me. You seem to hold back your profanity and I dislike it."

"You want me to fucking cuss?" A small smile came onto the hairstylist's features.

The smile on the blond said a lot, but there was a small smile coming from the pale lips. Reaching upward, two pairs of lips collided in a sweet and gentle kiss. The message was clear – 'I'm sorry' and 'I forgive you' was each given from one side. Hands lightly roamed while the kisses were exchanged, eyes shut tightly to share the moment of happiness and bliss.

"Hey Mels? L wants to know if you're going to have sex in that closet." Matt's voice came from outside, followed by a light knock.

As the two separated, their eyes were concentrated on each other. Their lips hungered for more, their breathing slightly askew.

"We're not going to fuck, I'll be right there." Mello answered, a look of annoyance coming to his features. "We're good, then?"

"Yes, I believe so." Near answered, shifting his attention away.

When the door was opened, both detectives were met with a flash of light. Four eyes shut tightly due to the reaction, then cerulean was met with dark raven eyes.

"Due to human culture, I believe that it would be appropriate to document this experience and event. You both don't mind, right?"

"…" Mello was completely silent once the sentence registered in his mind. By the slight strained look on his face and the frown that wanted to make it deeper while his expression wanted to completely change, he eventually shook his head. "Keep the damn thing."

L gave a small smile and turned his attention toward Near. "May I?"

"Go ahead." There was a part of him that wanted to take the picture back and destroy it, but the white-haired detective found no motive or excuse to destroy the evidence.

"Good, good." He gave a small nod, the smile staying on his features.

"L… may I have a word with you about the man at my home?" Near spoke up, knowing that it was a good place to have a meeting.

"Certainly. Mello, do you mind closing the shop early? I'll be waiting." With that, the detective walked away from the group. He motioned Near to follow.

The smaller detective followed silently, taking in the small details of the salon. There were pictures here and there of women with haircuts, but there were also men. It was the posing picture of the people looking directly to the corner, almost as if the camera was watching them, but it wasn't. A small thought of Linda crossed his mind, but he pushed it aside as L opened the door in front of him. Giving a small nod at the kind gesture, he walked inside. "Thank you."

"Of course." L scurried over to the desk and sat down on the chair with his signature pose. "Now, about what you wanted to talk about…?" He had a questionable tone.

"The man next to my apartment." He started, waiting to be motioned to sit down. When L did, he sat with his own signature pose, lifting his left leg up toward his body while his right hand went up to twirl a piece of hair. "Teru Mikami, was it? What do you have on him?"

"What do I have on him?" L asked the question back, then a small smile came onto his features. "You think I did a background check on him already? I have, but there wasn't much to it that I could see wrong. Is there something that he did?" Tilting his head a bit, L curiously brought his thumb up to lightly nibble on.

"He touched my shoulder." Near started, knowing that it would sound ridiculous to an average person. He didn't even react when the door behind him was closed, knowing which two men were behind him.

"What?" Mello asked.

"Oh, I see, I see." L started, continuing to nibble at his thumb. "Hmm… well, do you believe he did it in a sexual or romantic way?"

"I don't have enough evidence to make a conclusion." Near answered.

"Who the hell are we talking about?" Mello's lips turned into a frown.

"I believe that you have a jealous feline behind you, bunny." L slightly mocked, the smile coming bigger onto his features. His dark eyes shifted over to Matt's green eyes, getting a stern look in return. The smile just remained its length, dark eyes dancing happily at the information that the other was telling. Turning his eyes over to a waiting Mello, he shifted his eyes toward Near. "Now, are you going to tell your boyfriend about this new man in your life?" He slightly mocked again.

"'New man?'" The blond hairstylist repeated.

"Yes, new man." L repeated. "I've already told you both about this individual. Near's stalker, remember?"

"And he touched his shoulder?" Mello asked.

"Yes, yes he did." L answered as a matter-of-fact, taking a sugar cube from his desk and popping it into his mouth. He gave a small noise of pleasure.

"I don't understand why an exact demonstration would help since the physical act is linked to–"

"Mello wants to be the only one that wants to touch you that way, Near." L smiled, his eyes flickering up to the cheeks of the blond, noticing that they turned a light pink.

"…" It seemed like Mello wanted to bark a remark, but he remained quiet, staring elsewhere other than L's eyes.

"I feel sorry for the guy who touched his shoulder." Matt finally spoke up, a small cocky smile coming onto his features as he rubbed his arm a bit. "I mean… Mels has a good punch."

"You deserved it." The blond defended.

"Well, perhaps he did, perhaps he didn't." L stood up and stared at the forgotten laptop on his desk. "You should know better, Matt. Mello is basically an alpha male. He'll protect his property at any costs."

"…" Near looked up, a small frown coming onto his features at the answer. "The boy, Taro, he's not safe, isn't he? I requested for him to give me a secret message somehow on the situation and he agreed, which is surprising. He seems to be smarter than he leads on."

At this, L shifted his attention toward Near, his smile gone as complete seriousness controlled his face. "You were careful, yes?"

"Yes, I was careful." Near stated, knowing that Taro's life could have been in the balance or even his mother's.

"…" L remained quiet, thinking about the situation at hand. "I'll see what else I can find out about the man. He doesn't seem to have a criminal record, which means he hasn't been caught, at least. This raises suspicions. Now, Mello, would you care to take your boyfriend home?"

"Yeah, I'll take him home. Come on." Mello turned his attention away and walked out the door.

The white-haired detective stood up to follow, but was caught off guard when a hand stopped his shoulder. He looked up to waiting green eyes.

"Like this?" Matt asked, seriousness throughout his features.

"I believe so, yes." Near answered, a bit of confusion throughout his mind as he walked after Mello.

He could hear L's words, "Was that a real question or a statement?"

The ride home was a quiet one while the smaller one had his nose pressed lightly against the hairstylist's back, his fingers gripping tightly in front of the shirt. Lightly taking in the smell of chemicals from hair products, there was also a smell of chocolate. Wanting to close his eyes and stay there, the ride was soon over.

"Near, we're here." Mello stated while turning off the bike.

Pulling away from the warm embrace that he wanted to hold on for a bit longer, he got off the bike and handed over the helmet. "Thank you for the ride."

"I'm coming in with you." The blond hairstylist commented, staring up at the building.

The white-haired detective stared at the man before walking into the building, he could already feel the jealousy coming from him. A part of him wanted to smile, but held back from such action. When they got out of the elevator on the thirtieth floor, he wasn't surprised to see Taro waiting by his apartment door. Walking over, he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted before he got a word out.

"Near." He greeted, then looked up at Mello. "Who's he?"

"My name's Mello." The hairstylist answered, staring down at the small boy.

"He's…" Near began, thinking about how to access the situation, but it seemed that Mello beat him to it.

"His boyfriend." He finished.

"He's your boyfriend?" Taro's eyes slightly widened at the comment, a small blush coming onto his features. He gave a small smile and extended out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mello. My name's Taro."

"…" Near couldn't help but feel as if the situation was a bit odd. It felt as if Taro was his son and Mello was the boyfriend that he was introducing into the family. Instead of saying anything else, he let both individuals speak to each other while getting out his keys to open the door.

"Are you the boyfriend or the girlfriend in the relationship? You have nice hair." Taro started, curiosity coating his every feature.

"I'm the boyfriend in the relationship." Mello answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Near's the girlfriend."

"Really?" Taro asked, a bit of disbelief throughout his features.

Shifting his gaze slightly, a glare was thrown at the blond individual as he entered upon the room.

"Are you two thinking about making a family together?" Taro asked, staring up at Mello.

"We haven't talked about that." He gave a small smile. "Why? Do you want to be our son?"

"No!" The boy's cheeks lit up with a crimson tint. "I mean… well, that's a very kind offer."

"How about I ask you that question later on, then?"

"Okay, deal."

The white-haired detective sat on the small couch, his eyes trained on both individuals that were interacting. A small smile came onto his lips as he continued to watch the interaction, his heart beating a bit faster to life as he stared at Mello being a type of father figure. He seemed to know the right things to say to the small boy and that was an attractive quality its own.

"I have to go help my mom with dinner. Let me introduce you to her." Taro smiled, grabbing Mello's hands. "Come on." He tugged at the hairstylist, disappearing away from the room.

Bringing up his leg to think about the situation at hand, he let his right hand start twirling his hair. Hearing a knock, he averted his eyes over to the open door. His eyes were greeted with dark ones, staring right at Mikami's. "Come in." He spoke, wanting to tell the other individual to leave.

"I don't want to waste your time. Do you have a guest over?" He asked, walking and sitting a bit too close for Near's liking.

"I do have a guest, yes." Thinking about whether or not to add the 'boyfriend' label onto Mello was still lingering in his mind. He wasn't sure how far Mikami would go to do whatever he was currently doing. His thoughts were interrupted when a hand came down on his right knee. Shifting his eyes, he looked into dark eyes.

"I was thinking about you earlier." He stated bluntly.

"Your point?" Near countered, watching as the hand gave a gentle squeeze. He felt a bit uncomfortable, his body cringing completely on the inside while it only visibly tensed a little on the outside.

"Do you believe at love at first sight?" Slowly, the hand moved upward onto his thigh.

It made him shiver in disgust instead of pleasure, the touch sending prickles of discomfort throughout his entire figure. "No, I don't believe in such a thing." He wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the entire truth. He didn't have enough care to look up the scientific facts and evidence to make his own conclusion. Love always seemed to be far away.

"Really?" Mikami asked, a bit of disbelief throughout his features. Leaning in, their lips were centimeters apart.

"…" Near felt his body tense up as he stared into the dark eyes that were staring into his own – hypnotizing him into silent submission.

Both men were analyzing each other's movements, neither of them moving as the scene paused. Gray irises were trying to analyze the dark ones that were examining him, staring into the dark orbs behind the glasses. As he felt the hand move up, both shoulders tensed a bit more. Lips were pressed against his own in the most incredible uncomfortable kiss. Pale hands quickly grabbed at the black-covered shoulders, pushing lightly. When Mikami didn't budge, he was about to use more force, but as soon as his body was on his, it was quickly gone.

"Get the fuck off of him!" The voice sounded harsh, cold, and filled with anger. Usually calm cerulean blue eyes were now filled with a fiery hate. A fist made itself as it came crashing down onto the perpetrator's cheek, pulling back for another blow.

Before it could land, though, two pale hands reached out and latched on quickly. A calm monotone voice spoke through the heat of the moment, "Mello, wait."

"Like hell I will!"

"I'm going to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law!" Mikami yelled, his dark eyes narrowing into a glare as his hands were up defensively.

Blue eyes narrowed even more, challenging the threat that was in front of them, not even flinching or softening when there was a small tug on his arm.

"That won't be necessary." Near started, looking over at Mikami. "You have been creating sexual advances that I've not taken a liking to, Mr. Mikami. I would like for you to leave my home."

"I did no such thing." He frowned, standing up from his position and dusting the invisible dust off his suit. "You both will regret it. God knows what you two did."

Something flickered in both crystal blue eyes as they narrowed more. "Don't you fucking dare use God's name in vein! Now get out the fuck out of here."

"Sweetie?" A woman's voice called from the door, which made three pairs of eyes look over in the direction. There stood a tall woman, with dark brown hair, dark gray eyes, and bright red lips. A look of concern as on her features as she stared at the scene in front of her, her eyes trailing from one individual to the next, finally landing on Mikami. "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing, Taki." Mikami spoke up, a small smile gracing his features. "It's just a little misunderstanding, is all."

"I see." She started, then turned her attention to Mello's slightly glaring eyes, ignoring Near's calm dull ones. Slowly, she made her way toward them. Her legs were graceful with her walk, her elegant hips swaying back and forth slightly, expressing her elegance. "My name is Kiyomi Takada." She smiled a beautiful smile – showing enough teeth to represent her beauty. "I'm Mikami's fiancé, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

There was a silence following, the three males not exchanging glances at all as she spoke. The magnitude of the words hit as Mello wrapped his arms around Near's light figure.

Takada reached out with her pale hand, oblivious of the situation in front of her. Her dark gray eyes were staring into crystal blue, then into almost-identical gray eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"Mello." The blond hairstylist greeted, reaching out a hand before shaking hers. "You have quite the fiancé." There was small sarcasm in his voice, his eyes flickering to the man that was glaring behind Takada's back.

"Near." The young detective reached out with his hand, shaking hers in return after Mello. Dull gray eyes connected with lively dark gray, both shades contrasting each other.

"Well," She pulled her hand away, her bright commercial smile displaying for them all to see. "Are you two together?"

"Yeah, we are." Mello answered for them, anger still coating behind the words.

"Oh, what a lovely couple you both are." She continued to gracefully smile, moving her hands together in front of her, one on top of the other. "Well, we do have somewhere to be. Goodnight to both of you, Mello, Near." She walked away, her heels clicking lightly as her hips continued to gracefully move from side to side.

Gray irises followed each movement, his eyes not being able to move away from it. Shifting his eyes over toward black raven eyes that were glaring, he didn't make a comment. Trying to read through the lenses, he felt two arms protectively wrap around his figure, pulling him in close to an embrace.

After the two individuals had left the small penthouse apartment, the two lovers remained in a possessive yet loving hold.

"Did he touch you?" Mello was the first to speak, the question filled with venom, anger, and pure strain.

"He did touch me. You saw the position we were in, did you not?" Near tried to avoid the question, his eyes trying to look elsewhere.

"You know what I mean, Near." The name came out with certain type of tone that the young detective couldn't place his finger on.

"He only touched my thigh, Mello. He rubbed lightly, but other than that and a kiss, he didn't get very far."

"I'm going to strangle him next time I see him."

"Mello." The monotone voice tried to warn, but it held it's flat tone.

"What, Near?"

Trying to look through the cerulean eyes, Near wondered what to make the situation better. It was obvious that Mello was upset and even jealous, but part of him wanted to move onto the case that they had at hand. Without even thinking of what to say, the words spilled out his mouth, "Her hips were swaying."

There was nothing from the blond, but pure silence. Shifting his attention slightly, passionate and emotional blue eyes stared into dull and gray eyes. "Near… do you really want to talk about this right now?" Moving both hands, they cupped at the other's cheeks in a soft, but loving way. "Are you going to ignore that the guy fucking touched you in the most inappropriate way?"

"It was only my thigh, Mello. I don't see the difficulty or bothersome part about it." The white-haired detective answered back, his head tilting slightly by being mesmerized the cat-like gaze from the blond hairstylist.

A moment went by where a jaw of teeth was slightly grinding. Opening his mouth slightly, there was a small sigh that escaped the lips. "Fine, then scientifically, why do you expect me to react so defensively? Hm?" His voice sounded strained, crystal blue orbs having a different tone – patience and annoyance instead of pure hate and anger.

Near thought about the question, his mind slowly connecting the dots with what Mello had provided. His mind went back to what L had mentioned about being the alpha male, which added to the conclusion. "Mikami touched your lover." He substituted the word he originally wanted to use, knowing that Mello didn't mean to treat him like an object. "You're jealous and you're angry at yourself?"

"Close, but no." Hands shifted to bring the white detective's head closer. "I'm mad at the guy, but I'm sure you'll be able to learn more about social interactions soon." Leaning in, his breath lingered lightly on pale lips before they crashed a bit forcefully.

"Do you…" His breath stopped mid-question when lips made contact with his own, sparks flying from every direction.

In a matter of seconds, there was a passionate tongue in his mouth, dancing against his own bland one. Eyelids slowly started to close as the kiss become fiercer, fervent, and hotter. Lewd sounds were filling the air, bodies slowly coming together as one. Hands wrapped delicately around the petite waist, the kiss deepening while tongues started to dance with more eagerness. Both tastes were blending in to become one, their surroundings disappearing slowly.

Through the noises, four ears didn't miss the small gasp that came from Mello's right and Near's left. Gray eyes soon were greeted with blue as their lips pulled apart, their heads turning to stare at the intruder that seemed to have a flabbergast expression.

"I'm sorry!" The boy jumped as eyes were filled with shock; his two cheeks were the bright color scarlet. "I didn't mean to interrupt!"

"It's alright, Taro." Mello spoke up first, pulling his hands away from Near as he walked over, a small smile on his face. "Did you need us for something?"

"I mean… well…" He started, his eyes staring up at the blond hairdresser's tall figure. "Are you two going to make a family?"

"Are we…" The chocoholic started to repeat, but a faint of pink sprinkled on his cheeks.

"That isn't an appropriate question to ask two adults, Taro." Near interrupted, his gaze avoiding Mello's cerulean irises. "Biologically, two males cannot produce an offspring."

"Near." Mello started.

"No, it's okay." Taro spoke up, a small smile coming onto his features, turning his attention to the white-haired detective. "I know that's true, but I don't think it's the only way. I know that you both can adopt a son if you like and I'm sure he'll be very happy with you two as parents."

"…" Near thought about the boy's words, wondering if it was true at all.

Taro spoke up before Mello had a chance to. "Anyways, I have to get back to my mom, but she asked if you two wanted to come over for dinner. I'll tell her you both are just busy." He smiled a bit, his eyes turning from one to the other. "Goodnight." With that, he walked away from the two that were shockingly quiet.

"…" Closing the door without a second thought, Near locked the door with a small click after making his way over. "Perhaps I should have a word with him about what is socially appropriate to discuss with adults and what isn't."

"You?" Mello asked, a small smile creeping on his face. Instead of giving Near a chance to answer, he wrapped his arms around the small male. Walking toward the couch, he stopped.

"What is it?" Near questioned, staring as two tannish hands pushed him backwards onto the couch.

Instinctively, he reached forward to grab a hold onto something, but failed miserably. Soon, his back hit the symmetrical cushions that were on the couch, each square denting as he made impact. Staring up at Mello, his breath silently caught in his throat. Shifting back slightly, he felt the back of his head lay where the armrest was. Gentle lips met his own as he felt a small spark, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment and kiss back gently. Pale fingers reached up and disappeared through golden locks of hair, tongues moving against each other in the same dance that they participated in before.

Chocolate hit his senses as the gentle kisses were turning slowly passionate. He felt weak when hips grinded slowly into his own, sending crazy waves of pleasure throughout his body. Panting slightly, fingers tightened their hold on the golden locks. "Mello, wait." The white-haired detective gasped slightly, his breath coating itself with pure heat, need, and want.

"What is it?" The kisses completely stopped, cerulean irises paying close attention.

"I want it slow, if we're going to go all the way due to your jealousy."

"…" There was no response as Mello shifted his head slowly. He planted a kiss down onto the pale neck, a small smile on his features. "Alright, but I get to mark you as many times as I want."

"Go ahead, but be aware that if people worry and suspect that it's domestic violence, then I won't be at fault." Near reasoned.

No answer was given as another light kiss was given to the delicate neck in front of them. Moving slowly, the kisses became slower and slower, leaving an invisible trail of pleasure in their wake. Lips enclosed themselves around the pale skin, starting to suck lightly at it. Mello's hands roamed on Near's sides, clenching at the fabric lightly. A smile formed when he heard a gasp as a reaction, continuing to mark his lover. Shifting his hands more, he tangled their fingers together, gripping lightly. The smile got wider as fingers gripped his back.

A small bite got him to express more of his emotions as his lips opened up slightly in a gasp. "Mello…" He whispered, trying to think about what the other's agenda was.

Once again, there was no answer given as a tongue licked over where the bite was, almost as if asking for an apology. Giving one last kiss, both tan hands pulled back to slowly unbutton the clear buttons on the shirt. Lips gently kissed upwards, capturing his unsuspecting victim. Button after button was becoming undone, warm hands roaming on the petite chest. The blond hairstylist felt a twitch of heat at his groin as he heard a slight gasp.

Wanting to make and to hear more, his lips moved down to the collar bone. Kiss after kiss was given as hands roamed upwards while creating sharp intakes of breath that his ears were starting to get addicted to. It was almost intoxicating and addicting, wanting to hear more sounds from Near. When drunk, there were so many vocals, sounds, and even commands that were given, but right now it was almost as if that Near didn't exist at all. He craved for any type of reaction now, instead of the white-haired detective craving him to hurry up.

Turning his head slightly, he took in a small pink nub into his mouth, his hands trailing down to rub both inner thighs. A frown was on his features as he remembered the incident a few minutes before, but a small gasp brought him out of his annoyance. Shifting his eyes upward, he took in Near's position: his face seemed a bit strain as hands were lightly gripping at the edge of the couch, eyes shut semi-tightly, trying to control every muscle on his face while having a light pink blush on his cheeks. It was adorable and part of him wanted more and to even ravish him then and there, but held back.

Moving his hands, it was music to his ears when he barely heard another gasp escape the lips. Slowly moving his hand, he started to lightly rub the lump that was in between the white-haired detective's legs, his hot breath lingering on the pink nub that he paused at.

"Mello." Near gasped slightly, his back arching slightly at the pure sensations of it all. Gripping the couch more, nails lightly dug into the fabric before hips responded by thrusting lightly into the warm palm.

"Near…" Mello's voice whispered next to his ear, hot breath tracing the outer shell.

Turning his head slightly, the smaller male kissed the hairstylist, his fingers coming up to grip onto the locks.

The kiss was short lived when a ringing broke through all of their ears, a certain ringtone sounding throughout the penthouse apartment. Quickly pulling away, Mello seemed to have an apologetic look as he brought out his own cellphone out from the pocket that was containing it. Moving his fingers on the screen, he answered, "Yeah, L?"

Glossy gray eyes stared heatedly, taking a note of the certain ringtone that caught Mello's attention. Shifting a bit, he sat up, bringing his left leg toward his chest as his right hand came up to twirl pieces of snowy white hair. His heart was still racing in his chest as he took in the other's expressions, trying to read what was going on with the older detective.

"Yeah, what about the case?" Blue eyes looked out into the distance. "No, I haven't heard anything. Right now I'm busy with Near…" His voice trailed off, listening to L speak on the other line. "No, I haven't seen the news. And no, Matt hasn't told me anything, why?" He stopped to listen to the other speak, his attention turning over to Near before shifting away. "Have I noticed anything weird and out of the ordinary? No, why?"

"Mello, what's going on?" His lover spoke, staring closely at Mello's reactions.

He held up a finger, silencing the other as he continued to listen to their mentor speak carefully. "Why are you beating around the bush for? Yeah, he's right here, but what does that have to do with anything? You know how professional N is, L. I don't see the big deal." He held the phone a bit closer, his expression changing slightly. "What do you mean me? How does the case involve me? Is it one of my Mafia men?" He listened, thinking about the answer. "Well, then what the hell is it? Does Matt know?"

"…" Waiting quietly and patiently, Near wondered what was holding L back from telling Mello the information on the case.

"Why would I need Matt here when you deliver the news?" There was a small questionable look on his features now, his tone changing slightly. "L, spit it out." He listened one more time, then everything went silent. Every expression that was holding Mello's face together seemed to have fallen as each muscle came to a relaxing state. His eyes looked into the distance, not focusing on an object at a time. Gathering his composure, he asked, "Are you sure?"

Near tried to think of any reason why Mello would need Matt at his side, but came up with none. He remained quiet, knowing at the reaction he was showing was pure shock. Continuing to twirl his hair, he thought about the possible scenarios.

"What the hell?" His expression completely changed as emotions of angered showed. "No, but I'll tell him, L. It should be from someone he's close to. And…" Cerulean eyes finally turned to the silent boy that was on the couch. "Near, do you mind if Matt comes over?"

"No, I don't mind." Resuming twirling, he thought about more possible scenarios, but couldn't come up with any.

"Alright, L… yeah, send him over. Is he fine?" Mello paused at the response from L, thinking about it. "Alright, I'll be sure to do something about it. Do you have any reasons why this would happen?" Listening again, he frowned slightly. "No, but I can figure out anything you need." Once again, he listened to the other man on the line. "Alright, keep me updated, yeah? I'll talk to you soon." With that, the blond hairstylist brought the phone away from his body and pressed the red button, pocketing the mobile device.

"What is it, Mello?" Slight curious gray eyes looked up, a bit of confusion behind them. "Did something personal happen to you that you need Matt over?" He questioned, trying to find a reason for the subtle change of the entire situation.

"Yeah, something personal happened, Near, but no, it's not me who probably needs his comfort. I think he needs mine."

"I don't understand what you're trying to indirectly tell me with those words." Near started, but noticed how Mello sat next to him.

"Near…" He started, shifting his attention elsewhere, then back at him. "Matt needs comfort this time from me and so do you."

"Why?"

"L confirmed another victim from the serial killer we're trying to capture." Blue eyes slowly started to show their sadness.

"Yes, and?" Near asked, silently denying what he could see was the truth through the pain of the expression.

"The new victim wasn't a model, Near. It was a photographer by the name of…"

His heart completely sank and clenched in pain, the answer already being whispered in his mind as he shook his head slightly, wanting to deny it.

_Linda._

"Linda."

Author's Note: Thank you user NearxMello for the idea behind this chapter.


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